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CREATURES OF MYSTERY 











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Creatures of Mystery 






By 

Gray Meek 

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PRINTED BY 

THE J. W. BURKE COMPANY 


MACON, GEORGIA 






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COPYRIGHT 

1946 

GRAY MEEK 


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APR 1 3 1947 
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TABLE OF CONTENTS 


Page 

Dedication _ vii 

Preface___ ix 

Creatures of Mystery __ i 

Intelligence of “Dumb” Animals_ 70 

The Swallows of San Juan De Capistrano_ 79 

Veterinarian Errs in His Diagnosis_ 90 

Origin and Use of Hypnotism_ 109 

Following the Trail of the Serpent_ 167 

The Origin, Symbolism, and Modern Use 

of the Caduceus_ 178 

Reaction of the Lower Order of Animals 

to Human Emotions_ 184 

Snake Cults and Serpent Worship_ 192 

Snake-Dance of the Hopis—Their Immunity 

to the Bite_ 197 

An Incident of the Civil War_ 199 

Little Burmese Girl Prefers King Cobra as Pet_204 

Black Bear Detours for Mr. Rattler_205 

Just a Minute, Professor ^_209 

The Matchless Splendor of the Rattler’s Tiara 

Rivals That of an Eastern Potentate_211 

Miracle, or Coincidence?_ 214 

Two Champs Meet_ 217 

Uncle Dave and His Water-Rattler_222 

Mixed-Breed or New Species, Which?_224 

“Ol’ Spot” Enters the Fray_ 226 

He Makes a Nice Little Pet, the King Snake Does_229 

“And a Little Child Shall Lead Them”_231 

Uncle Dave Meets His Match—Almost_232 

Camping on the Satilla_236 

Just in Case—-239 

My Diamond-Back Neighbor-243 

Hoop-Snakes - 247 

Brief Notes_-_249 

Do Snakes Have Legs? -- lj. -256 

America’s Uncrowned King-264 

Index- 271 

Illustrations 

Pages 116, 118, 120, 122, 124, L26, 128, 130, 132, 134 


















































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DEDICATION 


Dedicated to the cause of wresting the great outdoors from 
America’s most deadly internal foe, and making the 
same more inviting to all lovers of Nature 
to whom it of right belongs. 


f: 


( vii ) 

















































































































. 






































PREFACE 


Perhaps the writer ought to explain in this foreword his 
reasons for offering this short volume to the public. It will 
be explained herein what it is intended to be, as well as what 
it is intended NOT to be. 

It is not offered to the public because of its literary merit, 
but if it is worthy to survive, or to gain any worthwhile cir¬ 
culation, it must be on account of the practical information it 
contains, as the same relates to the wild life of the great 
diamond-back. 

It is not a scientific treatise, and no effort has been exerted 
to have it appear as such. On the contrary, it is a treatise 
purporting to reduce to writing what laymen, in most in¬ 
stances illiterate men, have learned about the rattler. The 
author is painfully aware of his own literary shortcomings. 

In absolute fairness to the simple truth, however, our read¬ 
er’s attention is invited to the fact that much of scientific value 
has been presented herein which, insofar as the writer knows, 
has not hitherto made its appearance in print. 

All of the information contained in this volume was not 
gathered first-hand, but mostly gleaned from extensive inter¬ 
views with reputable men who have spent many years of their 
lives in infested woodlands. The statement is made, and with 
becoming modesty, I trust, that the writer has spent many 
years in actual pursuit of this dread reptile, as an understudy 
of Uncle Dave, and has experienced many thrilling encounters 
and a few narrow escapes while invading the rattler’s hiber¬ 
nating grounds in pursuit of him. It might be added that, for 
obvious reasons, all of the thrilling incidents credited to Uncle 
Dave were in reality not his own, but it can be said that he 
has had more personal differences with the diamond-back than 
any individual it was ever my privilege to know. It is my 
candid opinion that this old gentleman is in possession of more 
vital information touching the wild life of the diamond-back 
than any person in America. Those to whom we are indebted 
for the subject-matter contained herein have acquired all their 
knowledge by observing him in the wild state, while in pursuit 


(ix) 


of his prey, and observing him otherwise about his native 
haunts, and his places of hibernation. If it were but possible to 
pool their lives and observations into that of a single individ¬ 
ual, and had such person been born one thousand years before 
the Pharaohs came to power in ancient Egypt, then such indi¬ 
vidual would still be beating the sand ridges and shrub-oak 
hummocks throughout the wiregrass region of the coastal 
plains of Georgia, and with his observations still incomplete. 

It dawned upon the writer, even during his early boyhood, 
that he had fallen heir to a natural craving for a better ac¬ 
quaintance with this particular creature. Our elders were 
heard to speak of his mysterious ways, but never explained 
them to our satisfaction, if in fact they offered any explanation 
at all. When we grew up no opportunity was passed by to 
gather in and read all that the “experts” had written on the 
subject. Frequently we would write the most eminent living 
authorities on the subject, inquiring of this and that, but always 
their answers were unsatisfactory, and wholly at variance with 
what appeared to be the true facts. It finally dawned upon us 
that there were not any experts in this particular field. It 
became increasingly evident that this was a field which had 
never been fully explored. Consequently, we tied our fortunes 
and our endeavors in with Uncle Dave and his “Suicide Squad” 
with a firm resolve to wrest every single secret from the dia¬ 
mond-back, if possible, and lay the groundwork for his com¬ 
plete extermination. 

Friends have chided the author, asking, “Why do you spend 
so much time, and exhaust your energies writing about such a 
frightful creature?” Anyone living between Southern North 
Carolina and the Mississippi River, whether urban or rural 
resident, must live as neighbor with these creatures—yes, 
closer neighbor ofttimes than you think. It would, therefore, 
appear better policy to become acquainted. Those afflicted with 
surface cancer, eating its way slowly, but surely, into their 
vital organs, would not be so indiscreet as to draw their cloak 
closer about them, denying that anything was wrong. From 
the author’s point of view it would be almost tragic to permit 
so much vital data to come to nothing with the final passing of 


(x) 


Uncle Dave. 

It is the sincere hope of the author that this volume may 
fall into the hands of some who may be entitled to lay claim 
to expert knowledge of the rattler, and that they may become 
sufficiently interested to institute an investigation of their own 
concerning the claims of these laymen. If, however, any scien¬ 
tific society should assign one of their own members to this 
field, at an estimated salary of $10,000.00 per annum for a 
period totaling 6,000 years, it would cost, as the reader can 
readily see, $ 60 , 000 , 000.00 to prove, or disprove, what the 
layman has related herein. The guess of the writer is that it 
will never be done, but rather that the college-trained herpetol¬ 
ogist will continue to bolster up his theories, that the layman 
will continue to stand by his actual observations, and that the 
public mind will remain, as heretofore, in a state of hopeless 
confusion. 

Now we are by no means unmindful of the fact that the 
scientist may ask, and with no little show of indignation, “Just 
who are you to seek a quarrel with us?” Such is not the pur¬ 
pose of the author, but on the other hand if anyone cares to 
dispute the facts stated in this volume, then we have a perfect 
right to inquire of such person just where they acquired their 
knowledge. How many years they have spent in daily contact 
with him, baring their shanks to the rattler’s deadly fangs, 
working, fishing, and hunting in the latter’s favorite grounds, 
and in general loitering about his places of hibernation. These 
old woodsmen, to whom the writer is indebted for so much, 
have been trained in the hard school of necessity—to see things 
in their true perspective—because it would sometimes be ex¬ 
tremely dangerous to misinterpret the meaning of their obser¬ 
vation, particularly where the rattler is concerned. What they 
say cannot be lightly brushed aside by contending that they 
were mistaken in what they thought they saw. 

It is a general feeling among those familiar with the rattler 
that one bitten by him has an immediate rendezvous with 
death. Such happening is contemplated with intense horror, 
notwithstanding the fact that science has developed a remedy 
for the bite which is, in most instances, effective, provided it 


(xi) 


is properly and promptly administered, together with other 
first-aid treatment recommended elsewhere herein. If those 
who choose to go among them, or find it necessary to do so, 
would take time out to become better acquainted with their 
habits, where they are most likely to be found, and how they 
would most likely react to man’s presence, then such informa¬ 
tion would make it possible to avoid much danger. This, 
within itself, we feel, makes the preparation of this volume 
well worth while, and is the chief reason actuating the author 
in his final decision to offer it to the reading world. Beyond 
this the writer “saith not.” 

The Author. 


( xii ) 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


Nations of the earth, from time to time, engage in bloody 
wars over boundaries, “living space,” trade, or to redeem their 
national honor and prestige, but David Nettles, of Nicholls, 
Georgia, who responds more readily to the name of “Uncle 
Dave,” has a little war all his own, and none who have ever 
learned at first hand of his reasons for declaration of hostili¬ 
ties are prone to criticize him for his unrelenting prosecution 
of a truceless war. 

His little war, which is very much a personal one, is against 
the formidable and deadly diamond-rattler, one of which took 
the life of one of his sons many years ago. Up until that time 
he had not taken the aggressive, but satisfied himself with 
knocking off the heads of the ones which daringly, or carelessly 
came across his path, then pursuing the even tenor of his way. 
The son who was fatally bitten was not molesting the reptile, 
and the father of the victim bore stoically the inward pain 
caused by the dreadful suffering and final death of his son, 
being powerless to assuage the suffering of his son, or to stay 
the hand of death. 

Subsequent to this dreadful tragedy suffered by the old gen¬ 
tleman he doubled his vigilance, at least to the extent of pur¬ 
suing his dread adversary when circumstances and opportunity 
happily combined. In this manner he succeeded in running 
down his most loved (?) enemy and administering to many of 
his tribe the punishment all mankind considered, since the 
episode in the Garden, to be his just and proper due. 

When a second son had been bitten while engaged in a per¬ 
fectly peaceful pursuit, and a third had dodged a strike by 
the breadth of a hair, he concluded definitely that if it was 
war they sought, between themselves and the Nettles family, 
then they could have it. He would give them the war they 
asked for, and to the very hilt. From that day on he never 
passed up an opportunity to pursue them. No task was so 
pressing but that he would lay down his tools and go sleuth¬ 
ing, whenever and wherever he had good prospects of coming 


1 


2 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


upon their trails. Whenever his neighbors’ cattle or dogs were 
bitten and they appealed to him for aid, the same was never 
refused by reason of the urgency of his own personal affairs. 
Year in and year out he ponc(e re drover their habits, and with 
the painstaking care of a general in the field, he sought to 
acquire a better knowledge of their vulnerable points. He 
knew that every beast of the field, bird of the air, and in fact 
every living thing possessed one or more inherent weaknesses. 
He would find their weakness though it took him years to do it. 
To pursue him through territory of his own choosing was 
literally making a companion of death. When the woodland 
had taken on a new coat of green, while last year’s accumula¬ 
tion of dead pine needles, fallen bits of pine bark and other 
decaying matter which usually litters the forest, his camou¬ 
flaged skin blends perfectly with this litter, and it would be 
an act of sheer foolhardiness to seek him in an environment 
he had chosen with such care on which to make his stand. 

Perhaps there was a safer way. If so, he would find it. 
People who live in sections inhabited by snakes know that they 
will not find them traveling during cold weather. In fact, you 
will never see one during the colder months of the year, unless 
he be in captivity, or be dug out of his winter quarters. True, 
he may come forth from his place of hibernation during winter 
months when the outside temperature attains sixty degrees or 
upward and remains at such point for a protracted period of 
time, but on such occasions he remains near his “dug-out,” 
refusing to wander far afield in search of food. At the first 
sign of winter they commence scurrying about in search of a 
suitable place to spend the winter. This applies to rattlers as 
well as other species common to this section. Some of the 
smaller species will select holes in the ground, such as mole 
runs and the like. Others prefer holes in hollow logs, cavities 
in the rotten wood of stumps, underneath rocks and fallen 
timber. In mountainous regions where caves in the rocks are 
common, such abiding places may house innumerable assem¬ 
blages of these revolting creatures. Where large pine trees 
have died, or been cut away by farmers, or logging men, the 
outer strata of soft sap wood soon goes to decay, thus leaving 


CREATURES OF MASTERY 


3 


an ideal place of hibernation about stumps for serpents. The 
home of the diamond-back rattler ojf Southern Georgia will 
be more fully described hereinafter. During this period of 
inactivity they eat little. Food is not so essential then. During 
the spring, summer, and fall months they simply do not know 
their own capacity for food. All they want is food, food, and 
more food. Due to a wonderful process of nature they store 
away the excess in the form of fat to be drawn upon during 
the long hard winter destined to follow. Due to the fact that 
they lie in a state of suspended animation during the greater 
portion of the winter months, the demands upon such body 
energy is very slight, their accumulated fat consumes away 
very slowly—they could remain in their winter quarters the 
greater portion of a year without fatal results if such should 
become necessary. Even in such lethargic state they are not 
to be trifled with. They have a decided preference for being 
left strictly alone and be permitted to sleep the winter away, 
but when dug out of their place of hibernation during winter 
months they not infrequently put up a furious battle. 

Now Uncle Dave, as well as all other people who live among 
diamond-backs, knew that they retire from circulation during 
the winter months. Few ever stopped to think, or even cared 
to know, where they go. Men will live on heavily infested 
lands they inherited from their father, who, in turn, inherited 
it from his father, and fear to go in for a campaign of exter¬ 
mination of this dread warrior. They concede to him his right 
to certain areas—they refrain from entering such territory. 
They know by the number of sloughed skins to be found there 
that it is a regular diamond-back camping ground, conse¬ 
quently abandon this portion of their estate, forbidding their 
children to enter these danger zones. It is the custom of this 
unschooled old master of arts to inquire of such places. Of 
every landowner, on whose premises he would like to hunt, he 
asks, “Have you a corner, or hardwood hummock, along the 
river with such a bad name for rattlesnakes that no one will go 
into it?” If the answer is favorable he invariably asks to be 
directed there. He has a reason for wanting to know. It oc¬ 
curred to him that if he could definitely, and with certainty, 


4 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


locate their place of hibernation, he would thereby acquire the 
advantage he sought, and needed so badly. 

By noting the direction from whence they came in the spring 
of the year when they were coming out of their winter quar¬ 
ters, and also observing the direction they traveled in the fall, 
he finally found what he had long sought. On the great sand 
deposits and oak thickets found along the eastern sides of 
rivers and small streams they made their winter quarters. 
The hard-shell gopher (as he is called in this section of the 
country), or to be more specific, the burrowing land tortoise, 
had preceded him and had built convenient dugouts which the 
rattlers freely appropriated to their own needs. Ordinarily 
the rattler chooses a dugout which has been abandoned by its 
former owner, but he does not obligate himself to do so. 
When he finds a hole to his liking which already has a tenant 
(in the person of Mr. Gopher) he walks boldly in and shares 
the comforts thereof without so much as saying, “By your 
leave, sir.” No particular discomfort is occasioned either of 
them by such trespassing. The gopher is one of the most 
peaceably disposed animals to be found anywhere—he has no 
desire to harm the trespasser—the trespasser could not harm 
him if he so desired. There being no inconvenience or special 
discomfort occasioned either of them due to such dual occu¬ 
pancy, then it would be so ordained. 

Thoughtful persons have long observed that these sand 
deposits are always found on the same side of streams in this 
section of the State. Such sand deposits, if I may be permitted 
to digress slightly, present a geological mystery. Presuming 
upon the reader’s kind indulgence we shall touch upon this 
mystery very briefly, even though it is related only indirectly 
to the main subject being treated. It is not recalled that at 
any time during the past we have ever read an attempted ex¬ 
planation by any reputable geologist. These deposits are in¬ 
variably found on the east side of all streams running south 
along the coastal plains, evidently the result of some invisible 
and hitherto inexplicable force of nature. If a single exception 
should ever be found the reader should not jump too quickly 
at conclusions. It is not impossible that while the mists of 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


5 


early dawn of creation hung like a pall over a newly created 
world such stream might have shifted its channel, cutting 
through to the east, leaving a short stretch of sand deposit 
on the west shore of the stream. Consequently, a single excep¬ 
tion would not necessarily disprove anything. 

On the west side of these streams is to be found rolling 
land, usually of clay formation, with steep cliffs marking the 
western boundaries of the channel. These cliffs show the effect 
of some invisible force not exerted upon the eastern side of 
the channel. One cannot see this mysterious force, but we do 
witness daily the effects of it—these cliffs are eternally caving 
in—toppling giant timber into the river channel—the waters 
of the raging stream is ever “scouring” the western banks of 
the river while the eastern banks remain free from the effects 
of such corroding force. Men have long wondered why. Oak, 
hickory, and other hardwood trees grow in profusion along 
the eastern boundaries, and the land is rolling in character. 
Such deposits of sand varies in width and depth, depending 
upon the size of the stream it fringes. Anyone taking the time 
and trouble to make a casual investigation by traveling east 
from such streams will observe that these sand deposits are 
gradually swallowed up in palmetto flats, ponds, and swamp 
lands which extend eastward for a distance of several miles 
from the shores of the larger rivers. These sand hills, unlike 
clay and heavier types of soil, do not adhere or form a cohesive 
substance, but like unto sugar, have a tendency to crawl when 
thoroughly wet. Consequently, as we approach the eastern 
borders of such sand deposits the land is practically level—the 
result of the combined influence of excessive rainfall and the 
power of gravitation. Finally such investigator, if he continue 
his course toward the east, will observe that he is coming out 
of the flat country and again entering the rolling clay hills. If 
one but possessed the power to reverse the time-keeping device 
of the universe for eons of time he would find the river stream 
under observation many miles in an eastward direction, par¬ 
alleling the channel it now follows. 

With such facts well established in the mind of the reader, 
it might prove profitable to visit the channel of some large 


6 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


river and there view the mute evidence of this ever-present, if 
invisible force. Even within the river channel, invariably on 
the east shores, one will find new sand dunes in the process of 
formation before your very eyes—mammoth mounds of snow- 
white, “barking” sand. The deep part of the channel, where 
the waters move with more force and velocity are to the west 
always, the waters of the river being impounded exert a con¬ 
stant pressure against its western embankment. As the waters 
of the raging torrent form a whirl the sand crystals, being 
heavier and less buoyant than the finer structure of the cor¬ 
roding clay banks on the west, are dropped as they whirl into 
the comparatively still waters on the eastern shores of the 
river, thus forming new sandbars, eventually extending the 
boundaries of the sand ridges farther and farther west as the 
river channel consumes more and more of the clay hills in its 
silent march westward—ever westward. 

The next step in our process of reasoning might well appear 
to bear no relationship whatever to the subject under discus¬ 
sion. But let’s see. Galileo, that profound thinker, who gave 
so much to the world when Roman culture was in full bloom, 
braved the wrath of his church by attempting to prove that 
the sun did not really move, but instead the earth revolved 
upon its axis from west to east, thereby giving us night and 
day. 

Living as he did during an era when science had made no 
worthwhile strides—being without any instruments of preci¬ 
sion whatever—it became necessary that he blaze his own 
pathway in his advance toward the truth he sought. Most 
school children will recall the result of his experiment with a 
pendulum suspended from the overhead ceiling of the leaning 
tower of Pisa, how the pendulum which was not anchored to 
the earth, swerved gradually toward the west as it made its 
way back and forth across the spacious room. 

The writer sees in all this the silent operation of the same 
force which caused the pendulum to veer toward the west in 
its flight. Water, being a non-rigid element, is neither definitely 
anchored to the earth, and the same force which influenced the 
pendulum’s westward movement also exerts a constant pres- 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


7 


sure of the river waters against its western walls, resulting in 
the eternal erosion, with a consequent shifting of the river 
channel in a westerly direction. 

Now, the rattler himself is not greatly interested in how 
these sand deposits came to be here—the very fact that they 
are here suffices for him. These sand hills swallow up excessive 
rainfall as would the desert wastes. Such fact, coupled with 
the free circulation of air down these holes, provides him with 
dry, comfortable quarters, no matter how long, cold, and wet 
the winter might prove to be. Similar excavations made in 
clay hills would fill to overflowing during periods of heavy 
rainfall. These periods of heavy rainfall are almost invariably 
followed by intense cold in winter months, thereby creating a 
most distressing situation for tenants who indiscreetly chose 
to spend their winter there. The gopher, being a rather stupid 
animal, often commits such error, but pays with his life by 
reason of his indiscretion. 

Having definitely located their winter quarters, he now 
proposed to take the same advantage of them which they had 
been taking of him during summer months by means of their 
protective coloring and devious crafty ways. During cold, 
damp weather, they lapse into a numb, stupid appearing con¬ 
dition which suited his needs admirably. Uncle Dave, armed 
with this vital information, was now ready for “total war.” 
A war of annihilation, so to speak, where no quarter would 
be asked—none yielded. So, for many years he has carried 
the war to them on their own soil. Notwithstanding his more 
than three-score and ten years, rapidly failing eyesight, plus 
partial deafness, he is still a familiar figure armed with shovel, 
flashlight, and burlap bag as his only weapons. All winter long 
he meanders up and down these sand ridges, hardwood hum¬ 
mocks, spring streams and bamboo bayous adjacent to creeks 
and rivers, with murder in his eye. One by one he searches 
these gopher holes, and the nonchalant manner in which he 
goes about it would give anyone as many thrills as a tender¬ 
foot reporter gets out of his first assignment as war correspon¬ 
dent in an exposed position. 

With gloveless hands he clears the opening of all obstruc- 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


tions, such as half-decayed leaves, loose earth, etc. Then, 
pushing his flashlight down into the hole, he darkens its depths 
by pressing his face squarely into the mouth of the hole. 
Nothing unusual to see him arise, leisurely remarking, as much 
to himself as to the writer—“Yep. He’s in thar, an’ a big 
one, too.” And he should know, since he was looking him 
squarely in the eye, and at close range. Then comes the ardu¬ 
ous task of excavation. These holes often practically parallel 
the surface of the ground. Where such condition prevails, it 
is a very simple operation, provided one proceeds quietly, to 
excavate beyond the reptile, thus trapping him between the 
original doorway and the newly dug hole. 

The rattler is little disposed to fight while in winter quarters, 
and will not do so until actually uncovered and exposed to 
broad daylight, which he did not welcome. His one desire is 
to sleep the winter away in peace. He shows little resentment 
of an intruder, provided he is not crowded out, or drawn out, 
into the open. He is not exactly at himself when cramped for 
room in which to strike, and he does not feel disposed to strike 
until everything is in his favor—he wants room in which to 
rear his head, and such room is not available in either a hollow 
log or the gopher’s dugout. 

When the rattler has been uncovered with the spade he 
usually rears his horrid head out of the loose earth, begins 
singing his rattles, while his black, forked tongue darts out 
challengingly in the direction of his tormentors. At this stage 
a noose is fixed on the end of a stick and let down easily over 
his head, with the aid of which he is gently drawn from his 
cozy quarters and deposited in the burlap bag awaiting him. 
Once in the bag he can be carried along as safely as a kitten, 
provided the necessary caution is exercised. 

Mates usually find quarters conveniently near each other, 
and it not infrequently happens that a small colony is estab¬ 
lished on a single hillside. Uncle Dave rejoices when he makes 
such a find. True enough, he is none the richer by reason of 
such a lucky find, but it is not for profit that he hunts them, 
but rather that his revenge may be more complete. 

The following line of the Scripture leaves no room for doubt 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


9 


in our mind that Moses, the author of it, really knew his ser¬ 
pents—“NOW THE SERPENT WAS MORE SUBTLE 
THAN ANY BEAST OF THE FIELD WHICH THE 
LORD GOD HAD MADE” (Gen. 3-1). Uncle Dave was 
as much aware as Moses that he had taken on a crafty ad¬ 
versary, and the more he pursued him, the more his respect 
for his cunning grew. But every single bit of knowledge ac¬ 
quired touching his daily habits served to render it more difficult 
for these crafty creatures to elude him. One of the very first 
things he learned was that it was by no means safe to tread 
upon ground which had not been thoroughly combed with a 
stick or rake, if it were suspected that one was nearby. When 
pursuing one he invariably parts the grass and weeds before 
him as well as to the right and left. A stroke in the right spot 
would either cause him to move, or sing his rattles. In either 
case his presence would be revealed. Merely to give any patch 
of grass or weeds the “once-over” would not reveal his pres¬ 
ence, so artfully and ingeniously has nature camouflaged him. 

When a new trail is encountered, he loses no time following 
it up, but before wasting any time, it is imperative that he first 
learn which way his enemy has gone. The tracks of most 
animals speak readily, and to the point, but in the case of the 
serpent a mere glance reveals nothing of value, and the novice 
would, often as not, get on back-track instead of following 
the course the serpent actually went, thereby losing much val¬ 
uable time, and perchance his quarry. So, bowing down upon 
his knees, in order to view the trail at close range, Uncle Dave 
will soon be in possession of this vital information. He views 
things in their minutest detail, overlooking nothing. Every 
tiny stick over which he has crawled, every clot of earth which 
has been moved all tell an unerring story. Should he push a 
clot of earth to one side, it is a very easy matter to locate its 
original position, and then take note of the direction in which 
it was moved. A small stick might likewise be moved in the 
same manner. Its original position can very easily be deter¬ 
mined, provided there has been recent rains. The direction of 
its new position is sure to be the direction in which he has gone. 
The direction of his travel can be determined in still another 


10 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


way: if he should chance to crawl over a small weed which had 
been trodden down and lying parallel with the ground, Uncle 
Dave and his boys look with care to see just where the impres¬ 
sion of it was made in the earth over which it lay. The impres¬ 
sion would never be found directly underneath the object itself. 
In his forward movement it would be pressed to one side, but 
when the pressure was released it would regain its original 
position. Such evidence also points unfailingly in the direction 
of the course he has followed. Such are the signs by which 
they are invariably governed, and an unfailing adherence to 
them will be sure to yield satisfying results. 

Those not initiated into the ways of the serpent will very 
naturally wonder how the trail of the rattler is to be recog¬ 
nized when so many other species abound in the same territory. 
There are giant rattlers, medium size rattlers, and baby rat¬ 
tlers hunting over the same ground. There are also varying 
sizes of moccasins, king snakes, gopher snakes, etc. What, 
then, is the secret? The secret is very simple. The rattler 
possesses a different principle of locomotion to the others. By 
moving his skin back and forth over his form, in sectors, he is 
able to travel a course straight as an arrow stem—he does not 
resort to the principle of slithering as do many other species. 
Consequently, all straight trails are recognized instantly as 
that of the rattler. 

The rattler is not addicted to the habit of meandering about 
aimlessly—he makes up his mind where he wants to go before 
starting out and then holds to a true course, unless, perchance, 
his course should be found blocked by some enemy with which 
it would be inadvisable for him to risk an encounter. He 
crawls about with his rattles pointing upward at an angle of 
forty-five degrees that they may be saved from wear as he 
travels. Should he pause for any reason, he relaxes, permit¬ 
ting them to rest upon the ground. If he chances to be upon 
soft earth at the time, a clear impression of them may be left 
upon the sand. This old snake charmer (we refer to Uncle 
Dave) often is in possession of the true size of his string of 
rattles before he ever encounters him. Hunting them during 
their period of hibernation, they frequently leave such telltale 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


11 


signs in the opening of their underground bungalows with the 
result that his pursuer gathers in this information before he is 
ever uncovered. 

Before Uncle Dave got wise to so many of the mysterious 
ways of this crafty serpent he completely lost the trail he was 
following. It came to an end upon ground where, in the light 
of all knowledge then in his possession, he felt that a very 
plain trail should have been left. The ground where the trail 
ended was covered with soft, white sand, but interspersed 
hither and yon with deposits of dead pine needles. Literally, 
as well as figuratively, he had come to the end of the trail. 
Deep in his heart he could not but feel that he had been out¬ 
witted, but how? That was the question. Before many moons 
he had another similar experience, but knowing already of their 
habit of continuing on their chosen course, he concluded he 
would continue in the direction he was so confident this fellow 
had taken. He did not have to go far before he came upon 
him. Regardless of all evidence to the contrary, he was con¬ 
fident that he had crossed over this roadway where he had 
observed the alternate deposits of sand and straw. Returning 
to the spot where he had lost the trail, he proceeded to examine 
it with the painstaking care of the secret police. Finding the 
spot on which he felt sure that a crossing had been effected, 
he proceeded to remove all loose straw without disturbing the 
surface of the soft sand beneath. When such operation had 
been performed, everything was clear. The trail was visible, 
but consisted of criss-cross markings of the straw upon the 
impressionable sand, the same width of the serpent he had just 
slain. With this information he could supply the remainder, 
i.e., why he had left no signs upon the sand spots. He had 
simply bridged these treacherous deposits of sand with his 
body in order that he might leave no evidence, realizing as 
he did that he was hotly pursued. Such operation required that 
he arch his body over these bare spots, bearing only upon the 
straw covered spots, thereby getting his traction without leav¬ 
ing the slightest visible impression. As he learned later, this 
was by no means an uncommon practice. In entering or leaving 
his hole, he climbs in and out over the back side where there is 


12 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


a deposit of grass and leaves that he may leave no trail. Ex¬ 
ercising still more caution, he does not permit his body to con¬ 
tact the floor of the hole for two and one-half or three feet 
down the hole. The result is that no one but this old snake 
chaser would ever observe his sign or detect his presence. 

From his early experience he stood convinced that his chosen 
adversary possessed intellectual keenness far greater than one 
would expect in any form of animal life, save man. Little 
wonder that Uncle Dave came around to the point of view 
that back of his every move or action there was some carefully 
determined motive. Little by little he learned to speak their 
language, read their thoughts, and to correctly interpret their 
every secret deed. 

Once he permitted to grow up in the center of a large field 
he was cultivating, a spot of rough, untilled acreage. It was 
well covered with plum shrubs, briars, cactus, etc., so that no 
animal or man found it an inviting spot. During the spring of 
the year, when he had commenced the cultivation of his crop, 
he took notice of one’s trail leading out from a rough fence 
row in the direction of this rough spot already described. 
Abandoning the task which was engaging his attention at that 
time, he followed the trail, but before he had covered one-half 
of the distance intervening between the rough fence row from 
which the trail led and the rough center, the trail came to an 
abrupt end—and there was no snake there, either. This was 
something new in his experience. How could he, even allowing 
for the fact that he was a true wizard, make a trail into the 
center of the field and then completely vanish? There was no 
indication whatever that a tragedy at the end of the trail had 
wrought his undoing. It would bear looking into most care¬ 
fully. Much as Mr. Rattler would have liked to conceal such 
fact, yet evidence was visible to his discerning eye that he had 
done “about-face” and had retraced his course back to the 
rough spot from whence he came. Now it would have satisfied 
the average person to know just what had happened at this 
point, but not this old gentleman. What he wanted to know 
next was “Why did he do it?” This-necessitated some clear 
thinking. Then he remembered that he had shrubbed out this 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


13 


rough spot in the center of the field and Mr. Rattler had 
observed from afar that someone had destroyed his hunting 
ground of yesteryear where he had caught so many rabbits 
and birds—no use going back there—he must, of necessity, 
find more promising hunting ground. The serpent reasoned 
that the less trail he made the less likely he was to be appre¬ 
hended by that pesky farmer—his mind was eternally upon 
him—and on this occasion it stood him in well, since his enemy 
was upon his heels no sooner than he had re-entered the rough 
woodland. By no means unlike the average fisherman who is 
lured again and again to the spot where he made good catches 
during years gone by, this rattler, no sooner than he emerged 
from his place of hibernation headed straight for this rough 
spot in the center of the field. Had he not caught many rabbits 
and birds there who sought shelter from the burning sun? 

It would be difficult for the average non-resident of the 
Deep-South to believe that such giant reptiles, and so much 
dreaded by man, could exist in such numbers upon land so 
densely populated. It would doubtless be even harder to be¬ 
lieve that the thicker a section is settled, provided sufficient 
hunting ground be left to him, the more rapidly they multiply 
and the more they thrive. The cultivated fields produce grain, 
which in turn attract and provide sustenance for birds, squir¬ 
rels, rabbits, and rodents upon which he feeds. Another point 
frequently overlooked is that the thicker the settlement, the 
more “man-wise” he becomes, thus enabling him to steer clear 
of the path human beings normally pursue. He is quite famil¬ 
iar with the paths they daily travel in pursuit of their tasks 
and makes it a point to shun them as much as possible. 

Naval stores operators, particularly those engaged in the 
task of chipping trees in the timbered lands, relate experiences 
almost unbelievable, so unmistakably do such experiences indi¬ 
cate a degree of intelligence which is simply uncanny. Ordi¬ 
narily the same employee works a given area of timber for an 
entire year—maybe several years. They work the trees in 
drifts, taking a strip of timber of given width and always work 
toward a definite objective. Sooner or later they acquire the 
habit of pursuing the same course from one tree to the next 


14 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


nearest. The rattler comes to know the route the worker is 
going to pursue as well as he does, and is wise and cautious 
enough to see to it that their paths never cross. Proof of this 
is to be found in the fact that when a new man is put on the 
job, disregarding the order of travel of the one he succeeded, 
he will encounter them. Occasionally one or more helpers is 
assigned to help the regular man, which throws the reptiles 
into a state of confused mind—they commence crawling, feel¬ 
ing that for them to get out of the area altogether is the safe 
thing to do. This leads to their detection. He works himself 
into a situation he did not anticipate—gets caught in between 
two workers—a predicament he was striving desperately to 
avoid. 

So greatly do men fear this fellow that they do not take 
time off to frequent his haunts, thus cultivating a better ac¬ 
quaintance with him. Most men shun places where he is likely 
to be encountered. Both exercise the greatest endeavors never 
to meet. Yet, the rattler is, by nature, a very peace-loving sort 
of fellow—his one desire is for peace, so long as peace can be 
had on terms compatible with his dignity. He seldom invades 
cultivated fields, particularly during their period of cultivation, 
and he is slow to venture about man’s premises unless the pang 
of hunger is prodding him. He knows the danger between 
men and women—not hesitating to come about the place and 
commit depredations when he discovers the fact that same is 
guarded only by female members of the family—seems to 
realize that their fear and inherent weakness will guarantee 
him a wider berth should he get caught at his nefarious work 
in or about the barnyard. Seeing that he and man are destined 
to live in the same world together, he makes a division of the 
territory, but allots to man that portion best suited to his needs. 
If a man elects to cultivate the high, dry land, then he will 
accept without protest such places as may be left to him. Pond 
land, rough fence rows full of briars, abandoned areas, he 
finds quite sufficient for his needs, but when man permits his 
dog to trespass upon his territory, harrying his rabbits and 
driving them into other areas, then a fight will sooner or later 
take place, and a most bully fight it will be, provided the dog 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


15 


knows his snakes, otherwise the advantage will be with the 
snake. The rattler’s hate for the dog is of long standing. To 
his way of thinking the dog will not fight fairly—he will not 
attack and he will not go away, but persists in hovering around, 
barking until his master arrives upon the scene to determine 
the cause of the trouble. Then it resolves itself into an uneven 
battle with all the odds pitted against the reptile. 

But to return to the thought previously expressed. The old 
hero of this story has really taken time off in order to promote 
a genuine acquaintance with Mr. Rattler, and we would gladly 
pit him against the most eminent authority on reptilian life 
anywhere to be found, particularly in matters touching the 
wild life and habits of this one species of reptile, which is one 
of the largest, most ferocious, and most deadly reptiles known. 
Quite true, Uncle Dave has never seen the inside of a high 
school or college, and does not know what it is all about, and 
though he has never said so, it is quite evident that it “Net¬ 
tles” him when the writer projects some thought into our field 
of discussion—some theory expressed by college men or scien¬ 
tists, who probably learned all they know by reading college 
text books, or maybe by visiting the serpents down at the zoo 
and studying them behind bullet-proof glass. Permit me to 
repeat that when such theories are flashed before him, and 
happen to be completely at variance with his own observations, 
he dismissed the subject with a visible show of impatience, but 
never going out of his way to criticize scientists, who would 
seek to match their theories against the knowledge he has 
gained by a lifetime of observation in the wild. 

He was endowed with an inquiring mind, never permitting 
anything, no matter how trivial, to pass his observing eye 
without being checked and re-checked. Few men seem capable 
of establishing any relationship whatever between cause and 
effect, but he is not one of them. It appears perfectly natural 
for him to adopt the philosophy that nothing ever happens 
without a cause. He gives the most painstaking study to the 
herbs of the woodland, their well recognized, or maybe poten¬ 
tial medicinal value, but in doing so does not permit the fixed 
stars, nor the planets in their orbits, to pass by unnoticed. 


16 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


As a mere boy, his interest was thoroughly aroused as he 
listened to older people comment on one peculiarity of the 
rattler, the same centering around his habit of coming almost 
immediately to the spot where his or her mate had been killed. 
This was a matter of general knowledge, but where the great 
mystery lay was—how did the survivor know of the tragedy? 
It is a well-established fact that during the summer months 
they never travel together, neither do they habitually follow 
each other’s trails. When they emerge from their winter quar¬ 
ters and choose their hunting grounds for the summer months, 
one will take to one side of a large field, and the other the 
opposite side, probably a distance of a thousand yards apart. 
Yet when one of the pair is killed, the other, if living, will 
invariably visit the spot where the death occurred within a 
day or two. His sign will be found there, without fail, pro¬ 
vided the earth is sufficiently soft to leave an impression. 

Accepting the above as true, and there is ample evidence of 
its truth to be had free, if one will but ask of those who have 
spent long years convenient to their habitat, and who have had 
opportunities to study their wild habits. Then there is only 
one logical conclusion to be reached, and that is that there 
exists between them some secret means of communication. 
This seemed incredible to Uncle Dave. Try as he might to 
dismiss the thought from his mind, it nevertheless continually 
confronted him, and without solution. 

During the early period of his life, while too young to be 
of any great service on the farm where he was reared, he often 
amused himself by pursuing a rather puzzling note coming, 
seemingly from nowhere. It sounded very much like the cry 
of a tiny turkey which had become separated from the brood, 
but he knew well that it was not, since they had no turkeys on 
the farm, and there were none in the neighorhood. At first 
he would hasten to the spot from whence the sound seemed to 
come, but when he advanced toward the location from which 
the cry seemed to emanate, all was quiet, nothing visible, and 
to add to his disappointment and confusion, no further note 
was uttered. He checked his movements with the utmost pre¬ 
cision for the purpose of learning, if possible, why his tactics 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


17 


had been yielding no satisfying results. Concluding finally 
that his impetuosity was driving this elusive creature to cover 
in advance of his arrival upon the scene, he decided in favor 
of a change of tactics. He would stalk this will-o’-the-wisp like 
a panther when he again took notice of the same note. When 
his opportunity came again, he lay prone upon the earth and 
literally elbowed his way to it, observing closely, in the hope 
that he might finally learn the identity of this strange creature. 
His patience was rewarded when he finally came within sight 
of a black racer with his head protruding from a hole in the 
decaying wood at the base of a large pine stump. There was 
no doubt left in his mind but that this call was coming from 
the black snake. He was as much elated over his simple dis¬ 
covery as any modern inventor could possibly be, should he 
stumble upon a secret which would revolutionize the world’s 
industry. 

He pondered this incident of childhood in his mind as he 
sought to learn the secret of the rattler’s mysterious means of 
communication with his mate. He had never heard from any¬ 
one that the rattler was capable of uttering a mating call, and 
he had never read anything coming from the most learned men 
intimating that such was even a possibility. But to him there 
was some likelihood that he was drawing near to another 
secret which might very easily prove the means of unmasking 
this old wizard of the wiregrass regions. 

Once, while sitting upon the porch of his little log cabin, 
at the setting of the sun, he heard a note of which he had never 
before taken notice. It came from a dense oak thicket con¬ 
taining a liberal scattering of palmettoes. It was more of a 
whine than anything he could describe—very much the same 
as a dog makes when he yawns. The note was soft on the ears, 
lower pitched than the dog’s whine, gradually ascending the 
scale as it drew to a conclusion, ending each time with a dis¬ 
tinct “T-u,” somewhat the.same as a human would make eject¬ 
ing a crumb from the point of the tongue by a sudden exhala¬ 
tion of the breath. It might be described as a sort of wailing 
call. This continued for almost a week. It was noted that this 
call would always be answered from a rough fence row, bor- 


18 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


dering a field not so far away. Finally his hound dog ran upon 
a rattler while in pursuit of a rabbit, the location of the rattler 
corresponding with the locality from whence the call seemed 
to come. Thereafter all was silent in the vicinity where the 
serpent was found, and from whence these mysterious calls 
seemed to come. It meant something to him that the call was 
not heard again during the entire summer. This was merely 
an incident and did not prove anything, but you may rest as¬ 
sured that it stuck in Uncle Dave’s mind like a bee in a tar 
bucket. It is worth noting that there is a variation in the call, 
sometimes wailing as described above, and on other occasions 
chirping, chattering, squawking and crying very much after 
the manner of birds when their young are being disturbed. 

Other incidents came hard upon the heels of each other, all 
of which seemed to lead this old scientist (without degree) 
nearer and nearer to definite proof of the theory he had 
evolved as to the origin of these unusual calls. On another 
occasion he took note of the same sunset call coming from a 
rough spot within his field, which was completely surrounded 
by land which had been thoroughly pulverized in the process of 
cultivation. He kept a vigilant watch as he ploughed his crops 
just to determine if he might discover tracks made by some 
animal, whose identity was not yet known to him, but not the 
slightest clue did he ever find leading in this direction. The 
note continuing, he took a walk through the spot of ground 
the next time the call was heard at sunset, to learn if he might 
flush some strange nocturnal bird which might have chosen 
this as a nesting place, but without so much as flushing a spar¬ 
row. He found no sign of animal life there; could this cry 
he had been hearing be that of a diamond-back? The final 
and convincing proof came when his dog ran upon one on this 
very spot, he having failed to find him while searching the 
place. This, along with other evidence already in his posses¬ 
sion, it seems, should have been sufficient proof on which to 
base a conviction of one charged with murder, but whatever 
vestige of doubt that might have lingered in his mind was dis¬ 
pelled when the serpent, himself, supplied the final link in the 
chain of convicting evidence. He became so enraged at the 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


19 


dog as he and his master began closing in on him, that he, 
probably without intending to do so, uttered the same identical 
note he had heard oq the other occasions. 

If any herpetologist has ever admitted that the rattler is 
capable of uttering a mating call of such volume as would 
prove readily audible at long distances, then it has never come 
to us through the medium of their writings or through other 
channels. The above evidence, it would appear, should thor¬ 
oughly establish our contention. No matter how reputable and 
sincere the student of this particular reptile may be, and no 
matter how conscientious those who write about them may be, 
their studies are conducted under such circumstances as would 
preclude them, definitely and forever, from acquiring more than 
a smattering of the many habits and secrets of this most inter¬ 
esting serpent. The rattler is a rather peculiar creature, prone 
to be a bit temperamental. He will not perform freely for 
the benefit of students who might run down from the great 
metropolitan centers for the day, armed with kodaks, news 
reel cameras, sound-recording devices, etc. You must live as 
neighbor with him in order to learn much of his secrets, and 
even then one may rate himself as lucky should be encounter 
him more than once in a lifetime engaged in the application of 
his magic arts. Take him captive and remove him to the city 
and he immediately desists from the practice of the arts he 
knew and applied regularly in the wild. For the reasons stated, 
members of scientific bodies chide laymen, often unmercifully, 
because of their foolish contentions, labeling them as laymen’s 
myths, and dismissing them from serious consideration for the 
reason ( they say) that laymen have not the trained eye of the 
scientific observer, and consequently are not sure of what they 
see, etc., etc., etc. 

Ignorance on their part of facts known to those who have 
learned about the rattler by actual daily contact with him for 
many years, does them no discredit whatever, when we stop to 
consider that their studies, of necessity, must be conducted un¬ 
der circumstances so utterly disadvantageous to them. It must 
not be forgotten that this fact was learned by Uncle Dave at 
the expense of a lifetime of study and observation. No scientist 


20 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


of which we have any knowledge has ever spent much time in 
these lonely spots where he is to be found, but on the contrary 
have made practically all their observations of him at times 
when he knew well that he was being watched. It is far from 
his practice to utter his mating call when he has company, and 
especially if it be the human kind. In the first place, when a 
rattler is confined in some public park, and his mate was also 
caught and brought along with him, then nothing is to be 
gained by uttering his mating call. If, in the process of his 
capture and removal from his native habitat the couple are 
separated by long distances, then surely he senses such fact and 
for perfectly good reasons would not utter a sound. Their 
protective instinct is so keen that in the wild state they would 
not dare chirp if they sensed the presence of any human being, 
so that it becomes all but impossible to both see and hear them 
at the same time. For generations and generations rural resi¬ 
dents of the Southern states have doubtless heard this same 
call, but passed by, supposing that it was the call of some shy 
and unknown nocturnal bird or small animal. 

When one of these dread reptiles has bitten some animal or 
person, people living adjacent to the spot where the tragic in¬ 
cident occurred are so filled with horror that they shun the 
place for days and weeks. As long as they live they will remem¬ 
ber the incident, and will point out the place to friends and 
passersby. If he was not destroyed at the time of the tragedy 
they know he is still at large in the community, and they will 
exercise every possible precaution, when going places they 
think he might be found. The opinion is universal that he 
leaves the spot without loss of time, but the exact reverse 
happens to be true. He finds a secluded spot only a few feet 
away where he coils up and remains for practically a week. 
This was learned through the application of the trial and error 
method. When such tragedies occurred friends would appeal 
to Uncle Dave. On the first such call he had a feeling that it 
was useless, but out of respect to the family went and con¬ 
ducted a diligent search. He even surprised himself—he found 
the reptile and slew him. Gradually he extended the period, 
finding them on a few occasions on the sixth day, but never on 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


21 


the seventh. Six days appears to be the limit of his stay upon 
the spot where he has made a kill. Inquiring ones would very 
naturally wonder why he would tarry at the place of the kill¬ 
ing. The prevailing opinion is that he is weak and emaciated 
due to the loss of his store of venom, and due to the physical 
processes set in motion while re-charging his venom sac. Being 
without venom, and in addition having lost his appetite for 
food, he sees nothing to be gained roaming about in such a 
condition. Those who have observed them very closely will 
tell you that following a killing he appears shrunken, and shows 
less prowess in battle. 

When the first cool nights come in the fall of the year rattlers 
begin doing much stirring about, seeking suitable places for 
hibernation. It is a busy time for him until he finds a suitable 
winter home. At such times they are likely to be encountered 
anywhere. They usually choose a straight course from their 
feeding ground to their winter quarters, disregarding for the 
time being their usual rules of precaution for “safe motoring,” 

Considerable pains is taken in choosing a hole in which to 
spend the winter. They prefer one on the south side of a hill 
or surely one pointing downhill. Those on the south side of 
hills are not so badly exposed to the cold north wind. Those 
opening from down the hill do not catch water when it rains. 
They prefer holes that turn sharply as soon as they enter the 
ground. Such serves a double purpose. First, the crook in the 
hole serves to check the cold winds. And second, the turn pro¬ 
vides them protection against the peering eyes of their enemies. 
They surely want a quiet corner where there is no traffic, and 
invariably they choose a hole only a few feet from the dense 
undergrowth. They prefer to winterquarter by the side of 
small spring streams running into the creeks or rivers from 
the east, rather than being too close to the large streams. They 
never seem to camp along extremely steep inclines by the side 
of the large streams. Just what reasons enter into their deci¬ 
sions as touching this particular point is very difficult to de¬ 
termine. 

His habits about his winter quarters appear to be governed 
by certain strict rules. He will not crawl out over the soft 


22 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


earth the gopher excavates in digging the hole. Such would 
leave a trail to betray his presence. Rather, he crawls out over 
the back of the hole where the litter and sod have not been 
disturbed. In coming in and going out of his hole he so man¬ 
ages that he will not leave the slightest impression for two or 
three feet down the hole. He will not choose a hole upon 
ground that is barren. He prefers to do his sunning of warm 
spring days to the rear of his hole, since he usually enters and 
leaves his quarters through the back door. For the reasons 
stated he usually chooses a hole with palmettoes in the rear 
and delights in coiling or stretching out underneath the dead 
leaves which rest upon the ground. Such a location for sun¬ 
ning, on the south side of a cluster of palmettoes, serves a 
double purpose. These dead leaves very nearly match the color 
of his skin, and the clusters of palmettoes serve to shield him 
from the biting north wind. If the back of the hole be not 
exactly to his liking, yet the front provides well for his needs, 
he occasionally goes into his front yard to do his sunning. In 
taking his sun bath there are two essentials—he must be able 
to expose himself to the warming rays of the sun and at the 
same time be rather well concealed from the eyes of passing 
men or other enemies. It is nothing less than remarkable how 
he can so completely conceal himself, even underneath the 
sheerest deposit of dead wiregrass. A ten-pound rattler can 
thrust his head and neck inside a small tuft of wiregrass, then 
draw his body after him, and so coil himself inside that no 
passerby would so much as suspicion that this harmless-looking 
tuft of grass was literally a den of death. Hunters and others 
who might have occasion to pass his way on warm spring days 
should exercise never-failing precaution—passing in front of 
the hole and never to the rear. A safer rule is to miss these 
holes by twenty feet at least—they seldom, if ever, stray more 
than twenty feet from their holes to do their sunning. 

This old gentleman once related to the writer in detail his 
experience having to do with finding a female rattler’s nest. 
According to his story it was located underneath a pile of pine 
logs which had, at some time or other, been partially consumed 
by fire. The flame had hollowed out the logs underneath, thus 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


23 


forming a natural shelter against excessive sunshine or rain. 
Neither would the average passerby take notice of the fact that 
an enemy was utilizing the spot as an incubator. The fire had 
killed the roots of the wiregrass within the top soil. Such fact, 
together with a liberal accumulation of pulverized ashes, pro¬ 
vided Mrs. Rattler with an ideal nesting place. The soil was 
dry and brittle as well as being free from roots and grass. 
With her hard nose as her only weapon she had drilled a large 
round hole into this firm but brittle earth, and had deposited 
her eggs therein, again filling the hole and pounding sand and 
ashes around her eggs. The eggs were encased in a soft shell. 
When they had been well prepared for the final process she 
coiled herself upon them, and with her body had ironed the 
place over as smoothly as if it had been done by a Chinese 
laundryman. 

“But wait a minute, Uncle Dave,” we interrupted. “You 
are telling me something directly opposed to the contentions 
of men who claim to be well informed about the life of the 
diamond-back. I have read much of what they have to say 
on the subject and I never saw it admitted that they lay eggs 
as non-poisonous snakes do. They claim that they give birth 
to their young like other animals. What do you have to say 
to that?” Looking off across the timbered lands as he ran his 
fingers through his long gray hair, he said: “Wall, seein’s be¬ 
lievin’, ain’t it?” His query carried its own answer with it. 

The very circumstances suggested to him that there was 
something going on there concerning which he would like to 
know more. So, after disposing of the female rattler, he 
scratched into the soft soil where she had made such a cozy 
nest and uncovered twenty or more soft-shell eggs. To make 
sure that he was not in error he broke some of them and ex¬ 
amined the contents. They contained rattlers, all right. That 
he might have his testimony substantiated by others, he took 
many of the eggs home where they were broken in the presence 
of other members of the family. 

Once during the late summer he was engaged in the task of 
following the trail of a large one through an oak thicket along 
the river. Laying aside his tools with which he had been work- 


24 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


ing pine timber, he gave his entire attention to the chase. Soon 
he came upon a pair of baby rattlers. This was gratifying but 
not exactly what he sought, so continued his hunt. Another, 
and then another pair were found along the trail of the mother. 
He continued “mopping up” with the young ones about 18 
inches in length, hoping all the while that he would come upon 
their mother. The day was rapidly drawing to a close while 
the really big prize had eluded his grasp. Nonetheless, he 
counted it a fair day’s work and then turned homeward. To 
many, her habit of scattering her children about after such a 
careless fashion might have been somewhat of a mystery, but 
not to Uncle Dave. It was simply weaning time, and she was 
putting them out in territory which, according to her own best 
“snake judgment” was promising hunting ground. She rea¬ 
soned that if they would get out and hustle they could, in the 
midst of this oak thicket, abounding with mice and birds, pro¬ 
vide for themselves an abundant table. 

Taking his midday nap upon his porch one hot summer day 
during August or September, he awakened to peer through an 
opening where a board was missing to observe a baby rattler, 
about weaning size, coiled upon the sill of his little log cottage. 
“Well, how do you do?” he greeted him. Only a few inches 
had been separating their noses as he slept in fancied security. 
After giving him the attention his kind deserved, he called his 
sons and said to them: “I want you boys to go underneath the 
house and look for the other one. Where there is one of this 
size there belongs to be two, so get busy and look him up, but 
remember—be careful.” They had not been gone long before 
they emerged with the little mate dangling from the end of a 
sharp stick. 

This incident set the old gentleman thinking. He recalled 
his experience with the old mother out on the sand ridge. He 
recalled also, in the case just mentioned, the sign which had 
been left all about his premises the preceding Sunday while the 
family were away visiting. Now he was able to piece all the 
evidence together in such fashion that it would make sense. 
This old mother had been occupied with the task of scattering 
her little children about as the one he once pursued down by 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


25 


the river swamp. All had been quiet about the premises on 
the day she visited him, and the place abounding with chickens 
of all sizes well, she reasoned, “What could be nicer than 
to leave two of her children to partake of such bounty?” There 
was only one flaw in her process of reasoning, but it was a fatal 
one—she left them at Uncle Dave’s house. 

A risky thing to do—kill a rattler about one’s premises and 
drag him up to the house for purposes of exhibition. He made 
this mistake once, and the very next day, while returning to 
his labors in the field, he met the mate following the trail over 
which the dead one had been dragged, and with the ease of a 
foxhound. Better leave them where they are slain, and when 
the mate calls at sunset and receives no reply he immediately 
picks up the trail, following it to the scene of the execution. 
Crawling about his unlucky mate for a time, thoroughly satis¬ 
fying himself that she is dead, he departs, and most likely will 
entirely leave the environment in search of another mate. 

Should the average person observe two trails converging, 
it would attract little more than a casual notice, but this old 
wizard is able to piece together a fairly long and interesting 
story from such tiny thread of evidence. One or the other of 
a pair had his sunset, or maybe his dawn call, go unanswered. 
Having received no response, he takes no chances, neither 
loses any time. Fearing that some evil has befallen his silent 
partner, he suspends his hunting for the day and goes in pur¬ 
suit of her. He picks up the trail at the point where they had 
been observed to converge. Why had the fleeing one left the 
spot so precipitately? Perhaps she had come dangerously near 
having a brush with some human. Maybe she was hungry and 
decided very suddenly to seek more promising hunting ground. 
Whichever was her motive, she knew well that there would not 
be the slightest danger of eluding her mate, so keen is their 
sense of smell. 

Doubtless when the writer projects the thought into the 
field of discussion that this interesting reptile is capable of 
hypnotizing its prey the scientific world will stand aghast at 
the presumptiousness of a layman advancing such a thought. 
Yet, this is exactly what we propose doing. Is it not recorded 


26 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


on Divine authority that the serpent is more crafty than any 
beast of the field? Laymen have insisted for years without 
number that the serpent can do this very thing, but men of 
science scoff at the very thought. They do not hesitate to 
admit that Old Leo (the lion) is the original ventriloquist, 
and that he is a psychologist of no mean ability. When he 
observes a deer grazing peacefully upon the tender grass and 
herbs of the tundra, he realizes that to offer chase is ill advised, 
since the deer would be sure to observe his approach while he 
was still afar off. He solves his food problem by employing 
such art, with the result that he is thereby enabled to throw 
the herd into confusion. Lowering his mouth to the very 
ground he makes a mighty roar. The effect is that the sound 
waves are scattered evenly in all directions. Each deer fancies 
that the roar came from the direction he was facing at the 
time, and as they dash to safety, one or more of them will be 
sure to approach his place of concealment. Provided the first 
effort failed to produce the results hoped for he has a good 
chance of improving upon matters by repeating the process 
until some member of the herd is driven within springing dis¬ 
tance. Thus we observe that he is about as adept at the art 
of ventriloquism as man, and employs such gift regularly as a 
means of taking his prey. Such is freely acknowledged by stu¬ 
dents of animal life. 

When a herd of wild zebra chance to graze near a lion’s lair, 
and he pursues them without success, he goes into a rage, or 
would have them believe that he does. He roars like the thun¬ 
der of a raging storm until the earth fairly quivers about him, 
but gradually he lowers his volume until it amounts to little 
more than a growl. The herd, seeing that no harm has come 
to them, and having distinctly heard, with their own ears, that 
he had entirely left the vicinity, they reason that it would now 
be safe to return and crop the grass about his lair, since it 
appeared to them to be greener there than elsewhere. Tomor¬ 
row, or during many weeks to come, they would reason entirely 
differently—just now they feel secure, since they have clearly 
heard him retreat into the deep jungle. This is exactly the 
thought he sought to establish in their minds. They do return, 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


27 


and Old Leo has tender zebra for lunch this time. That’s psy¬ 
chology of a high order. 

So we see that nature has given to all her creatures some 
definite advantage over all others, in order that they might be 
guaranteed a sufficient supply of food. Why, then, deny the 
rattler that skill which is his just due? For obvious reasons he 
declines to enter into speed contests with the hare. He cannot 
climb trees in pursuit of squirrels, neither fly as do birds of the 
air, yet all of these make dainty meals for him regularly. 
What, then, is the secret? 

If we should reduce to print here all that we have on the 
subject—testimony offered by the most reputable witnesses 
and observers, it would only serve to bore the reader. Hence 
we shall resort to a limited number. Uncle Dave came upon 
a rabbit at the mouth of a gopher hole, apparently dead, yet 
warm and limp. Nearby was sign where a large rattler had 
coiled—the sign was fresh. A careful inspection failed to 
reveal any fang wounds whatever. A puzzle to many, per¬ 
haps, but he could ferret out the mystery readily. It was quite 
evident to him that the rattler had the rabbit completely within 
his power as he came upon the scene; not only powerless insofar 
as locomotion was concerned, but completely hypnotized— 
reduced to a condition of complete unconsciousness, or maybe 
suspended animation. When he heard the sound of human 
footsteps he slid quickly and quietly into the underbrush which 
proved to be conveniently near, abandoning his prey for the 
moment. 

It seemed ordained from the beginning that the Nettles and 
the rattlers should never live as neighbors in harmony. Fate 
seemed to have decreed that there was never to exist an 
amicable relationship between them. Uncle Dave’s mother, a 
pioneer woman, recalled very clearly atrocities committed by 
the Seminole Indians. Each night she would aid in driving 
their herd of sheep into the corral near their little log house 
as a safeguard against the depredations of the wolves. Not 
infrequently did the Red Men disturb their slumber, raiding 
their fowl house. True enough, they were not always bent 
upon murder, but the peace of mind of the household to which 


28 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


she belonged could never, on such occasions, be any too serene. 
The one season of the year when they could always count on 
being raided was the occasion of their annual corn dance. No 
telling when such raiding party might conceive the idea of 
adorning their belts with a scalp or two, in the hope that it 
might enhance their prestige at such festival. 

It so happened on just such an occasion that his mother and 
grandmother were alone. A disturbance on the outside among 
the cattle and the fowls suggested to them both that the Sem- 
inoles were about the premises. Arising silently and peering 
through a hole mortised in the logs for just such emergencies, 
she saw clearly, in the moonlight, a group of Indians surround¬ 
ing their fowl house. Escaping through a trap-door in the 
floor, they stole a march on the Indians and made their way 
into the timbered lands. Helping themselves to all the chickens 
they felt that the occasion might demand, they supplemented 
the results of their raid with some sweet potatoes scratched 
from their cow-pen land, and, as they hovered underneath a 
dense growth of briars, in the jam of a split rail fence, they 
could hear them, in the stillness of the night, as they passed on 
through the cornfield breaking ears of corn. 

Reared in such an atmosphere her utter fearlessness of 
either man or beast can be readily understood. The women of 
her era did not retreat when faced by the dread diamond-back, 
as we shall presently see. They learned that valuable lesson of 
self-reliance and self-protection against all manner of danger. 
To make the life of the women-folk all the more hazardous, 
Uncle Dave’s father was a fisherman as well as a great lover 
of the chase, which kept him away from home most of the 
time. For the reasons stated, he chose to establish residence 
convenient to good hunting ground. Wild turkeys and deer 
were plentiful during his young days, and one can rest assured 
that wherever the country will support an abundance of wild 
life, the rattler will establish himself and get his full share of 
the smaller game. 

This inveterate foe of the Nettles seemed to possess an 
uncanny knowledge of the coming and going of the menfolk 
belonging to the household, and would on occasions take ad- 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


29 


vantage of their absence to stage a bold daylight robbery about 
the premises. Once, during the late afternoon of a summer’s 
day, Mrs. Nettles, the mother of Uncle Dave, was mending 
garments while sitting on her front porch. Suddenly she ob¬ 
server her large white rooster, which had ranged out into the 
wiregrass, gall shrub and palmettoes, jump straight up, cack¬ 
ling, and came running toward the house. While he was even 
afar off she observed that his snow-white breast feathers were 
stained a crimson color. He weakened before reaching the 
house, fell to the ground, fluttered and died. She had arisen 
and was observing all this in utter silence. Her mind being 
completely satisfied as to the cause, she dropped the garment 
she was mending, remarking to herself, “I’ll bet it’s a hateful 
rattlesnake.” By the time she had partially given vent to her 
feelings she was already on the way, bent upon taking him on 
for battle. She observed at the cow-pen gap a very suitable 
weapon, in the likeness of a small split piece of timber. She 
lost no time locating the scene of the tragedy—the ground 
was all but covered with snow-white feathers from off her 
rooster. Parting the weeds and combing the grass with caution 
as she advanced, she presently came upon him. Instantly he 
reared his head to strike—she struck first—he struck out, and 
the fight was over. 

On another occasion, and under circumstances identical with 
the above, Mrs. Nettles referred to in the preceding para¬ 
graph, observed a gray squirrel gathering pine cones and hull¬ 
ing them for the enjoyment of the mast they contained. He 
had come unusually close to her little log house which, inciden¬ 
tally, had been his custom for several days in succession. He 
appeared to have a decided preference about a few things. He 
would climb the tall timber for a cone, then come down and 
run up a slender bent-down sapling which formed a flat rain¬ 
bow, and would utilize this for his dining table. A storm had 
evidently toppled it over, but since it had not been completely 
uprooted it remained alive. She rather enjoyed watching this 
little fellow—he appeared to have everything arranged ex¬ 
actly to his liking. 

On this occasion, however, when she first took notice of him, 


30 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


he appeared in great distress. He was racing wildly back and 
forth on this natural arch. Each time he ran toward the top 
of the tree he shortened the distance as he retreated, and each 
time he ran toward the root of it he advanced to a point nearer 
the ground. He appeared to be under the greatest imaginable 
nervous strain, and yet there was no enemy within her range 
of vision. Finally he ran all the way to the ground and stopped 
as motionless as a statue, tail uppermost. She had heard others 
relate stories of being witness to diamond-backs “charming,” 
or hypnotizing small animals and birds. Such information, 
coupled with woman’s intuition, influenced her to do some in¬ 
vestigating. As she went forth she picked up a small pole, just 
in case her suspicions were well founded. At the root of the 
tree she found, just as she had expected, a large rattler, coiled, 
and motionless, except that he was singing his rattles gently. 
The squirrel appeared sleepy and weak. His tail had fallen 
down limp over his back, reaching the point of his nose, while 
the heads of the two were almost touching. The rattler had 
not attempted to fang him, nor in any other manner, other 
than that just described, molest him in the slightest. With her 
weapon she rained blow after blow upon the reptile, but it was 
not until she struck him the second time that the squirrel took 
the slightest notice of her presence. He staggered off through 
the weeds, scarcely able to move along. 

As much reverence as Uncle Dave had for his mother, who 
was richly endowed with all the primitive virtues, it is fortunate 
that he does not have to rely wholly upon her testimony to 
establish proof of his contention that hypnotism is a common 
practice among reptiles. It was his good fortune on one occa¬ 
sion to occupy a grandstand seat and observe such an act from 
the beginning of the performance. Sitting quietly on his front 
porch one day he observed his kitten in the front yard behav¬ 
ing in the same manner as the squirrel. With bushy tail and 
arched back he was parading back and forth between the porch 
and the split rail fence surrounding the yard. As he retreated 
toward the porch he covered less distance each time, but as he 
advanced toward the fence he drew nearer and nearer. He 
was meowing all the while, and seemingly in very great physi- 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


31 


cal pain or mental distress. Observing with care, having 
already suspicioned the reason for the cat’s trouble, he saw 
clearly the head of his ever-present foe, the rattler, protruding 
slightly through the crack of the fence. He could not coil and 
accomplish his design, but he drew his rattles around in such 
manner as to play them by the very side of his head. He was 
not singing violently, but with sufficient volume as to keep the 
attention of the cat. When the old gentleman sought to rescue 
the cat from his approaching doom he found it a difficult task. 
Each time he kicked him away from the danger he came run¬ 
ning back, drawing nearer and nearer each time to the source 
of his torment. It was not until he had thrown him underneath 
the house with violence that the spell was broken. The kitten 
left the house afterwards and did not return for several days, 
something he had never before done. On his return he was 
poor, emaciated, and could not be induced to eat the most ap¬ 
petizing food for a time. 

Now, Uncle Dave is not the type of person to become wed¬ 
ded to an idea until it has stood the acid test. He goes about 
proving or disproving his theories with as much pains as a 
chemist working out his formula. He reasoned that if all this 
queer behavior on the part of the cat was not attributable to 
some uncanny power the serpent possessed, then the cat should 
respond to the presence of a dead rattler in like manner as to 
a living one. So, keeping such thought in mind, he took another 
cat one day and dropped him head foremost into a barrel con¬ 
taining the carcass of a dead rattler. The result was that the 
cat bounced out of the barrel after the manner of a rubber 
ball. He could scarcely believe that his feet ever touched the 
bottom of the barrel. He spat once or twice as he regained 
terra firma, and with bushy tail standing out, clawed up the 
front yard leaving the scene. 

Another observer of unquestioned veracity reported an in¬ 
cident quite convincing if one will but recognize the truth when 
face to face with it. This individual was working in his field 
when his attention was attracted to the cry of a rabbit down 
in a rough piece of woodland. The rabbit cried so piteously 
and persistently that he abandoned his work and went down 


32 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


into the woodland to investigate the cause of his trouble. He 
came upon the rabbit crouching before a great cone-shaped 
growth of wiregrass, trembling and crying, but seemingly un¬ 
able to move out of his tracks. Looking upon the top of this 
growth of grass was the head and a portion of the fore part 
of a great gopher snake with his black, beady eyes focused 
upon the eyes of his little victim. Neither of them seemed con¬ 
scious of the presence of the third member of this “murder- 
party.” Picking up the rabbit in his hands, it had the appear¬ 
ance that its mental balance was immediately restored, the 
spell being broken no sooner than his eyes were taken off his 
tormentor. Being deposited upon the ground again he left 
the spot with the proverbial speed of the hare. 

Of all incidents ever reported to the writer, it is considered 
that the following presents the most convincing proof that the 
diamond-back stands without a peer as a hypnotist, among 
either the beasts of the field, or members of the human family. 
Except naturalists and zoologists be as obstinate as the broth¬ 
ers of Dives, then they will readily accept this as positive proof 
of our contention. The incident occurred not more than three- 
fourths of a mile from the residence of the writer. The parties 
to whom we are indebted for the story have been known to us 
since childhood, consequently the writer needs no one to vouch 
for their absolute trustworthiness. 

Our informants, a young couple, lived in a cottage by the 
side of a sand-graded road. Between the front yard and the 
roadbed there was quite a growth of green weeds, briars, and 
grass. The front yard was covered with a light growth of 
grass except for the walk leading from the front gate to the 
doorsteps. The wife had been alone for quite a time. Mention 
is made elsewhere that the rattler will not hesitate to venture 
about the premises of man when they know for sure that it is 
guarded only by the womenfolk and small children. 

The husband returned, finally, with an automobile truck and 
unloaded some heavy articles among the weeds by the side of 
the road and directly in front of the house. Having finished 
with the task he drove away to another part of the plantation. 
During his brief absence his wife chanced to walk out and sit 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


33 


down on the front porch. Soon she observed the mother cat 
playing with something in the grass on the lawn. The cat kept 
advancing in the direction of the house as it played with what¬ 
ever it might prove to be which engaged her attention. Yield¬ 
ing to her curiosity she looked closely. It was a large diamond- 
back crawling slowly toward her, with head slightly reared, 
and with rattles pointing upward at an angle of about forty- 
five degrees. The cat was following the reptile, playing with 
its rattles, slapping them with first one paw and then the other. 
The two soon disappeared under the house, but at that very 
instant the husband returned. Directing his attention to the 
strange carryings-on of these two creatures, the husband 
seized a piece of stove wood from the woodpile which was 
conveniently near. Throwing same at the rattler with force, 
he coiled immediately to make a stand. The cat took no notice 
whatever of the disturbance, but on the contrary sat down by 
the side of the coiled rattler, looking upon him with not the 
slightest show of fear. At the direction of the husband his 
wife had brought him his loaded shotgun. It became necessary 
for him to do some maneuvering in order to shoot the serpent 
without doing injury to his cat, so close did the latter cling to 
its captor. 

Thinking the incident ended, the young man threw the rat¬ 
tler in his truck and drove away to another part of the planta¬ 
tion a mile distant from the scene of the killing. There he 
found a stump of a pine tree about eight feet tall. The thin 
outer shell was of rich pine wood. In the process of decay it 
was left with serrated edges, thus providing convenient sharp 
points on which to hang the carcass. Hours later the cat ap¬ 
peared upon the scene, climbed the stump, and lay down in a 
depression upon the top, as close to the rattler as she could 
get. A darkey working nearby, seeing this, went to investigate 
the queer behavior of the cat. She was driven down more than 
once during the afternoon and frightened away from the spot, 
but on each occasion she would return, climb the stump again 
and lie down by the side of her captor, dead though he was. 
On the following day the two men visited the spot again, find¬ 
ing the cat upon the top of the stump, dead by the side of the 


34 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


rattler—a victim of his deadly fascination. The cat was never 
fanged. It is significant that she had a litter of young kittens 
at home requiring, and heretofore receiving, her constant and 
tender care. 

This part of the story is founded wholly upon supposition, 
but we gladly leave it with the reader as to whether our deduc¬ 
tions are logical and reasonable. When the young man un¬ 
loaded the contents of his truck almost upon the diamond-back 
he doubtless reasoned that he had best move on to a more 
secluded spot. Realizing that he had the cat under perfect 
control, he moved on toward the house with full intention of 
devouring the cat when she had completely succumbed to his 
mysterious charm. We even believe that the rattler knew posi¬ 
tively, as he moved across the lawn, that he was absolute mas¬ 
ter of the situation, and that the cat would move in obedience 
to his every desire. 

Knowing the rattler as we do, we simply cannot imagine 
any other creature, either man or beast, walking up boldly and 
slapping his tail without receiving immediate and fatal atten¬ 
tion at the hands of the rattler. He evidently was as sure of 
the behavior of his captive as any professional hypnotist is of 
his subject, once the subject’s conscious mind has been lulled 
into hypnotic slumber. Of those that be of contrary minds— 
those who would deny with such vehemence that reptiles are 
endowed with power to “charm” or hypnotize—we would ask 
by what process of reasoning you would seek to explain the 
queer behavior of the cat, and the death of her, following her 
rendezvous with the rattler? What mysterious power directed 
the cat, in her hypnotic state, to the spot where the carcass of 
the reptile had been concealed? Was it by her sense of sight? 
No! The truck had been gone several hours before the cat 
attempted to follow. Was it by her sense of hearing? Posi¬ 
tively not! By her sense of smell? Perhaps. But let’s see. 
The carcass of the rattler had no contact with the ground, and 
whatever odor might have been absorbed by the atmosphere, 
if any, surely would have been blown away by the passing 
breeze long before the cat set out in pursuit of the reptile. 

Every wild creature, even those domesticated by man, recog- 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


35 


nize the diamond-back as their traditional enemy, and will flee 
from their presence—even from the smell of them—which they 
recognize instantly and without fail. Whether they have ever 
encountered one before or smelled one before makes no dif¬ 
ference. Just why, then, was this cat found fraternizing with 
her dread enemy? Just why did she abandon her family of 
kittens, stand vigil over him, and die by his side, unscathed 
by his fangs? 

Observations of reliable persons, practically without limit, 
could be had, but they would not serve to strengthen the evi¬ 
dence already presented. Lay observers from far distant 
points, and who never heard of each other, testify alike as to 
the behavior of both the reptile and his victim, be it rabbit, 
squirrel, bird or cat. Any impartial body of men would readily 
sustain our contention, basing their verdict on what courts of 
law define as a preponderance of the evidence. Men are almost 
daily sentenced to death on circumstantial evidence less con¬ 
vincing. 

This unschooled old master of arts once performed a post 
mortem operation on a rattler he had slain, having noticed 
that he had bagged an unusual supply of food. His digestive 
organs contained a grown rabbit and three squirrels. Anyone 
familiar with the habits of the gray squirrel knows that he 
spends most of his time in the tops of trees, and without some 
unusual gift which would enable him to induce the squirrel to 
come down from the treetops, then he could not possibly bag 
so much game in so brief a period of time. 

While we are shocking the professional pride of many who 
offer contrary contentions, we might as well relate some other 
circumstances tending to prove that the power of hypnotism 
extends even into the insect world. 

Laymen and scientists alike have long been aware that the 
black wasp, or commonly termed dirt-dauber, possesses some 
undefined and mysterious power which enables him to put 
other insects and spiders to sleep and store them away in his 
mud house for long periods of time as fresh as the day they 
were caught. Each little room of his house is liberally stocked, 
and when the eggs of the wasp are incubated by the warm 


36 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


spring weather he has everything he could possibly desire to 
provide his young with sustenance until they reach the adult 
stage of development. To him this means as much as man’s 
cold storage plants, since he is provided with living food which, 
were it not for his mysterious powers, would be utterly un¬ 
obtainable, it being out of season. The scientist insists that 
he injects a paralyzing fluid into his prey. I would like to sug¬ 
gest, and that with due respect to their profession, that the 
observation of this old scientist (without degree) is worthy of 
study. He declares with much confidence that the dirt-dauber 
hypnotizes his prey into a state of suspended animation. I am 
in position to add my personal testimony to that of Uncle 
Dave’s, having once witnessed the black wasp reduce to a state 
of utter helplessness a grown spider whose home he was raid¬ 
ing. He did not sting him, but accomplished the spider’s utter 
undoing, seemingly, by the power of his hypnotic eye. Should 
any scientific body take it upon themselves to disprove his con¬ 
tentions that the rattler can both utter a mating call and hyp¬ 
notize its prey, then it would surely entail more patience and 
expense than any institution of which we have any knowledge 
would be willing to expend for the information. Experts, or 
so-called experts, might be sent out into the wild by the score, 
and at an expense of countless tens of thousands of dollars 
annually, remaining in the field for half a century and never 
catch up with him applying his hypnotic art nor hear him utter¬ 
ing his mating call. The old gentleman of whom we write, ac¬ 
cording to his own testimony, has spent more than sixty years 
at Mother Nature’s knees, so to speak, daily being instructed 
by her as touching her many and varied secrets, verifying 
them, not by reasoning from this to that, but by looking facts 
squarely in the face. He has swapped ideas, observations, and 
experiences with perhaps half a hundred men who, too, have 
had better opportunities by far than the average person for 
horning in upon the secret ways of Mr. Rattler, and by avail¬ 
ing himself of the knowledge gained by them and freely im¬ 
parted to himself. By availing himself of the knowledge thus 
gained he has been enabled to cut many corners on the dia¬ 
mond-back, taking short-cuts to a better knowledge of him. 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


37 


He has, by the same token, learned how, when, and where to 
look for this, that, or the other, all of which means a great 
deal to the lay observer in his field as much so as it would to 
an astronomer scanning the celestial world. One observer, 
though he live for seventy or eighty years along the river 
swamp, he will be witness to very little of scientific value. To 
be sure, he may destroy scores of them in a lifetime, but this 
within itself reveals very little, if anything, of their mysterious 
and unbelievable powers. It is only when great numbers of 
laymen add their observations of a lifetime together that one 
can begin to construct a true picture of this crafty serpent. 

But let’s hear what Uncle Dave has to say about the mud- 
dauber’s mysterious arts. He relates that once while he was 
resting from his labors during the noon hour he took notice of 
a mud-dauber and a spider facing each other as though they 
were about to have some personal differences. Both appeared 
to be in a belligerent mood. The black wasp started it all by 
creating an agitation at the door of the spider’s home, who 
quickly came out to investigate. It happened, so he states, that 
he witnessed the difficulty from the very beginning. As the 
spider advanced upon the intruder, he stopped short within 
two or three inches of the latter, which seemed intent upon 
robbing his home. The black wasp kept a close watch over the 
spider, facing him at all times, flitting his wings, moving about 
from right to left, side-stepping, as it were, and all the time 
uttering that frying noise which one hears when he is spread¬ 
ing the mud in the process of constructing his house. (For the 
benefit of those who may never have heard this talented crafts¬ 
man as he works away, plastering his house, the frying sound 
spoken of resembles very closely the sound of a wireless send¬ 
ing set, using the Morse code.) The spider stood motionless 
while Uncle Dave observed with interest, wondering when, 
and in what manner he was going to attack. Just at this time 
the mud-dauber lunged forward, and with his long black legs, 
thrust one of the spider’s legs to one side. The spider quickly 
replaced it to its former position, but otherwise did not move, 
or take heed of the wasp‘s threatened attack. The latter con¬ 
tinued as before for some time, apparently afraid to draw 


38 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


near so long as the spider showed any sign whatever of life. 
He made another quick thrust at the spider as before, with 
the result that the spider was powerless to replace his legs— 
he had completely succumbed to the wasp’s magic. Other than 
this one insignificant act the wasp did not touch the spider, yet 
he lay helpless before him. As an added precaution the wasp 
did not lay hold upon his prey from the front, but performed 
a half circle—taking him in his arms from the rear, he flew 
away. 

As a hunter, the rattler always brings home the bacon. 
Whether he hypnotizes his prey, trails it down, or merely lies 
in wait for it until something chances to come near—well, we 
shall leave this to the keeping of Uncle Dave and the scientists. 
There is no question whatever but that the rattler knows the 
weakness of every single animal and bird to be found in the 
forest. He has the “low-down” on the blue-jay, that old dis¬ 
turber of the peace and tranquillity of the woodlands. When 
he desires to promote excitement among the birds, he knows 
full well, when his appetite demands bird for lunch, that he 
can always rely upon the co-operation of the old blue-jay. So 
when he observes one nearby he starts his chattering, squawk¬ 
ing, and crying as hereinbefore described, possibly accom¬ 
panied by a violent whir-r-r-r of his rattles, and the work is 
done. The jay sets up such a cry that birds far and near, of 
whatever kind, are possessed of a feeling that birds by the 
score are being murdered where the blue-jay has set off the 
alarm. They must therefore go and see. With the aid of his 
rattles and the power of his eyes he experiences no difficulty 
overpowering them one at a time, or so long as he has a 
desire for food. All observers agree that there is always one 
bird appearing more under his power than the others. This 
one draws nearer and ever nearer until he finally seems to 
freeze up within easy grasp of the serpent which takes him in 
at leisure, then centers his glare upon another. 

Insofar as the author of this little volume is concerned, he 
cannot escape the conclusion that the cause of general science 
would be best served if those chiefly responsible for its ad¬ 
vancement would accord a more respectful hearing to the con- 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


39 


tentions of laymen. It seems certain they would find some 
things worth investigating. We feel most confident that super¬ 
stition could not possibly account for the fact that almost 
everyone, learned and unlearned alike, within the territory in¬ 
fested by the rattler, stands convinced that he possesses some 
mysterious power, or force, by which he attracts his prey, and 
weaves some mysterious spell about him. Hypnotism, as prac¬ 
ticed by man, is a fact not to be denied, even though we may 
not understand it. When all the facts are in, pertaining to 
same, it will doubtless be learned that it was first practiced in 
the Far East, and that these wise old men, in turn, learned the 
rudimentary principles from reptiles. We wonder if anything 
really helpful to science will ever be gained by denying any¬ 
thing as a reality, which is readily apparent to the layman. 
We are even led to wonder just how much of the scientist’s 
purported knowledge about the rattler is theory, and how 
much of it is stubborn fact. 

Every well-read person recalls that during the recent Span¬ 
ish Civil War countless thousands of prisoners were driven 
hopelessly insane by nothing more than weird markings and 
designs upon the walls of the cells in which they were incar¬ 
cerated. When such odd designs first came under their obser¬ 
vation, they thought little or nothing of them—they appeared 
to make no sense whatever. They would dismiss it from their 
minds completely. They would return to it, however, much 
the same as the small animal or bird which appears to be 
thrown completely off their mental equilibrium by the gaudy 
array of colors and odd designs to be found on the back of a 
diamond-back rattler. No one understands just why such un¬ 
fortunate inmates of these old Spanish prisons were thus af¬ 
fected, but we do know that they were driven insane under 
such influence. Perhaps in these thoughts may be found the 
solution to the whole mystery, or to say the least of it, lead 
those who have heretofore doubted, to an admission of the 
reality of this power of the rattler. In the light of such recent 
revelations, science should not suffer the loss of any prestige. 
We shall return to this thought later. 

It came as a bit of good fortune to Uncle Dave when he 


40 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


discovered that one of a litter of half-grown hound pups pos¬ 
sessed real “snake-sense.” This is a rather rare occurrence, 
but occasionally a dog’s natural instinct teaches him that he is 
up against a deadly foe when he encounters his first rattler. 
So, putting this pup through a course of preliminary training 
calculated to impress upon him the dangerous character of the 
rattler, he utilized this dog in the pursuit of him. When some 
member of the family came upon one and permitted him to 
gain the underbrush, or some other impenetrable wild place, 
he would lose no time enlisting the services of his snake dog. 
By the time he scented his quarry he knew well the hazards of 
the venture upon which he was embarking and refrained from 
racing about as though he were in pursuit of a rabbit. He 
would trail quietly, treading with caution, peering behind every 
object, and listening for strange noises. His master would 
follow close behind, but would under no circumstances speak 
to the dog. He realized all too well that the hazards of the 
game required that he utilize every one of his senses to the 
utmost. Should the dog unfortunately permit himself to be 
caught off guard at a critical moment, then the decision would 
go to the rattler. He would smell as well as look into every 
single cluster of shrubs, briars, or palmettoes, prepared at all 
times to withdraw his head in haste should he observe some¬ 
thing which did not appear so inviting. By these means he suc¬ 
ceeded in chasing down many, with the aid of the dog, which 
might have eluded him had he been unaided in the chase. The 
hatred of the rattler for the dog is proverbial, and for many 
good reasons. In the first place, they are both contenders for 
the rabbits which abound in the rough fence rows and swamp 
regions, neither of them appearing disposed to yield any priv¬ 
ileges. Then, too, as the rattler views it, the dog does not 
play the game fairly. Instead of making it a fight between two 
brave and chivalrous contenders, the dog persists in keeping a 
safe distance and alarming the whole region with his barking— 
refusing to either fight or maintain silence. Finally his master 
comes to the rescue, and it develops into a one-sided battle. 

Even allowing for the dog’s advantage, in that he is able 
to summon his master when in dire distress, the results of their 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


41 


eternal warfare run about fifty-fifty. In the dense undergrowth 
which abounds in these spring places one finds pig trails lead¬ 
ing into the pools of cool and refreshing water. Rabbits, squir¬ 
rels, rats and mice also utilize these paths for the above-stated 
purpose. Knowing all this, the reptile coils in the narrow path, 
or either lies outside it with his head and neck inside the trail. 
There is less resistance for the dog if he follow these paths, 
since there is often a network of briars and bamboo where no 
trail has been opened. Now any man or animal daring to 
molest the rattler’s food supply incurs his undying hatred. 
Knowing full well what the dog is up to, the latter cannot 
count upon any generosity should he stumble upon one un¬ 
aware. In all such cases the decision goes to the diamond-back. 

One by one nature is yielding up her secrets to men of in¬ 
quiring minds. All men do not possess a common interest, but 
rather cover the whole of the created universe, ever increasing, 
and enriching man’s accumulation of knowledge pertaining to 
that with which he is surrounded. It was not until recent years 
that the spawning ground of the eel was located, though it had 
been sought by men for centuries. All the rivers, and their trib¬ 
utaries in the United States, flowing into the Atlantic Ocean, 
are infested with them. There they feed and grow until they 
feel that urge of nature warning them that spawning time is 
at hand. When they must take their leave of the environment 
in which they have waxed fat, nothing short of force can stop 
them. Finding themselves blocked by a newly-constructed dam, 
they bore through, if possible. Failing in this, they would not 
hesitate to attempt passage over desert land, re-entering the 
water below the obstruction, then continuing their journey to 
the sea. Once they have gained the high seas, they head 
straight for the Sargossa. They are not without their reasons 
for selecting this quarter of the globe as their spawning ground. 
The ocean floor at this point is far below the normal level of 
the sea’s bottom, thus giving great depth of water in which to 
take her last and fatal plunge into the realm of Old Neptune. 
Once near the ocean’s floor she encounters such terrific pres¬ 
sure, due to the weight of the sea above her, that her eggs are 
yielded up by sheer force. When they ascend to the surface 


42 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


they become entrapped in the great pasture of sea-weed, and 
while thus locked within its embrace, being exposed to the 
warm rays of the sun, are soon incubated. The mother ends 
her earthly existence in the process, paying the supreme pen¬ 
alty as a duty to her posterity. No sooner than the little ones 
have seen the light of day they proceed immediately to the 
waters their parents knew, and the whole process is repeated. 

Thus have men in all ages spied upon nature’s creatures, 
never permitting them to have a secret all their own, if within 
their power to wrest it from them. The greater the mystery 
surrounding their lives the harder men try to solve it. Little 
wonder that the eel clung to her secret for so long. Even an¬ 
cient mariners purposely surrounded this great void, lest their 
craft become hopelessly entangled and all perish. 

It was for neither wealth or fame that this old master 
(without degree) went in for a better knowledge of the dia¬ 
mond-back. He seeks no publicity, but on the contrary is ex¬ 
ceptionally modest, forever shrinking from the crowd rather 
than being drawn into it. Aside from the attacks made upon 
members of his own family he has been witness to the mental 
anguish they have visited upon others. If it so happened that 
a bear, or some large member of the feline family, should 
pounce upon some luckless human being down in the river 
swamp and tear them limb from limb, the community would 
be so stimulated into action that a great posse would be 
formed, scouring the entire region until the offender was 
brought to justice. When some innocent child has met with 
the same fate at the hands of this outlaw of the animal king¬ 
dom—the diamond-back—neighbors and friends speak words 
of condolence to the bereaved ones. When the last sad rites 
have been performed they will, in hushed tones, talk at length 
in terms of what the county, state, or Federal Government 
ought to do about it—someone ought to do something, they 
insist, but when asked to join in a campaign of extermination, 
they disperse—one returning to the plow, another to his mer¬ 
chandise, and a third to his office. Their dread of these crea¬ 
tures is such that it chills their very blood as they look upon 
one. In just such an atmosphere was his high resolves born—a 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


43 


resolve to hunt them down and destroy them as long as he 
lived. 

Now he is beginning to suspect that his foe possesses other 
and even more amazing secrets than those already disclosed— 
secrets which the cunning of men of all past ages have failed 
to uncover. Profound wisdom does not necessarily accompany 
great learning—you may find profound wisdom in the un¬ 
schooled, while those who have studied all the books and com¬ 
mitted all the facts contained therein to memory may be seri¬ 
ously lacking in wisdom. Uncle Dave, as we have so often 
stated, lays no claim to any very great learning, yet he reached 
the same conclusion as that wise old king of Israel whom we 
hear complaining that certain ways of the serpent were among 
four mysteries in this world which he could not understand— 
which he admitted puzzled him exceedingly. 

The admonition, “Be ye, therefore, wise as serpents,” was 
not uttered by mere man, neither by prophet, but by the very 
author of all creation. If a wiser being existed among the 
beasts of the field, then doubtless such creature would have 
been employed as a symbol of wisdom rather than the serpent. 
With even the limited knowledge of the reptile which we at 
present possess, we do not put it beyond him to perform in any 
manner credited to him. He appears never to resort to the 
employment of all his tricks and devices—it seems that he 
always has a store of secret arts in reserve. 

We have known this old gentleman long and intimately, and 
can testify to the fact that he has a sacred regard for the truth, 
refraining from advancing anything as a fact until he has in 
his possession evidence which is conclusive—sufficient to re¬ 
move all reasonable doubt. He admits that he knows nothing 
of science as revealed by men of college degrees, but, to quote 
his own words, “What I see with my own eyes, I believe.” 
When he has a discovery securely “pegged down,” he does not 
care particularly what any scientist thinks of it. Knowing him 
as we do, we regard him as a natural scientist—one, unfor¬ 
tunately, without college degree, but deserving of the same 
high respect. 

It is his firm conviction, though he admits that he does not 


44 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


as yet have the positive proof, that when the rattler hypno¬ 
tizes his prey, he often leaves him in this condition pending his 
future needs. Hunting with him, as with men, often yields 
little return. He has long periods when luck is rotten, and 
other periods when he succeeds in bagging more than his im¬ 
mediate needs require. Knowing him as we do, we can scarcely 
imagine him permitting a large, sleek squirrel to parade past 
him unhailed—he would surely bring his magic wand into play. 
It is known to men of science and to laymen as well that the 
black wasp possesses some mysterious power of reducing his 
prey to a state of complete unconsciousness—keeping them in 
such condition for months, during which time they neither die, 
revive, nor waste away. The only point at variance between 
the college master and this unschooled old master is the 
method by which he accomplishes this unusual feat. Scientists 
contend that he administers an opiate—Uncle Dave insists that 
he hypnotizes somewhat after the fashion of the rattler. Then 
we take just one additional step to arrive at the conclusion—if 
the spider’s victim will sleep indefinitely, then why not the 
squirrel or rabbit? 

If the reader is convinced, from the evidence adduced in 
this volume, that the rattler possesses the power of hypnotism, 
then is it unreasonable to believe that he would let anything 
fit for food go by? Why not hypnotize every squirrel and rab¬ 
bit which chanced to pass his way, cover them with litter, and 
return for them when his needs required? Animals in a state 
of suspended animation do not waste away at a very rapid rate, 
the functioning of the major organs of the body being reduced 
to the lowest level required to sustain life. The casual ob¬ 
server would judge them to be dead. In cold climates the cold 
itself automatically brings such state upon the bear, but when 
the warm days return he emerges from his place of hiding, 
somewhat reduced in weight, but thoroughly fit, and otherwise 
prepared to resume his normal activity. 

We leave this thought with the reader, together with the 
assurance that this keen old observer, to whom we are indebted 
for most of the subject-matter contained herein, will continue 
his investigations until such time as his findings of fact are 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


45 


definitely accepted by men of science, or are by them shown to 
be untrue. A mere shrug of the shoulder accompanied by the 
half-contemptuous remark, “sounds fishy,” would scarcely im¬ 
press Uncle Dave. 

While he claims no credit for this particular observation, 
and cannot vouch for the truth of it, yet he stands convinced 
because of the reliability of the friend from whom he learned 
of the occurrence. When two rattlers have occasion to fight 
over a mate, as they often do, the rules of the contest abso¬ 
lutely preclude the use of their deadly fangs. In this particu¬ 
lar they are decidedly more decent than men. While the latter 
boast of their culture and high morality, they are eternally 
engaged in destructive wars, out of which little is to be gained 
that is calculated to render their lives upon earth more toler¬ 
able. The rattler religiously refrains from doing any perma¬ 
nent injury to one of his clan. They settle their differences by 
resorting to more praiseworthy tactics. Doubtless they reason 
that their own enemies will sufficiently decimate their ranks 
without they themselves joining in a slow process of self-exter¬ 
mination. This friend was hunting wild turkeys during the 
early fall. In the dense river swamp he was busily engaged 
stalking a flock, utilizing his turkey call from time to time as he 
crept noiselessly through the underbrush. Other than the call 
uttered by the turkeys, and his occasional reply, there was a 
deathlike stillness pervading the entire swamp. His attention 
was finally attracted by a noise coming from the farther side 
of a large growth of palmettoes. The strange nature of it 
puzzled him—he could not quite determine the cause of it. 
Though of much less volume, the sound slightly resembled that 
of two he-goats paired off in combat. Being at last overcome 
by curiosity he called off the turkey hunt until he might satisfy 
his mind as to the source of this peculiar noise. When he drew 
near to the spot from whence the noise seemed to emanate, he 
witnessed something he had never before seen, neither at any 
time since. He had never suspected anything like it. Two 
rattlers were staging a rather furious combat. Their mid¬ 
sections were twisted together. Their tails and necks were free 
from the twist and they stood in an upright position, hammer- 


46 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


ing each other with the points of their noses. They appeared 
to take no notice whatever of his presence, which afforded him 
an opportunity to discover the cause of the disagreement. 
Conveniently near he found a female rattler, coiled and 
patiently awaiting the result of the contest. She would serve 
the winner faithfully, be he her mate of last year, or his chal¬ 
lenger. She owed a duty to posterity and took that duty rather 
seriously. Her progeny w T ould always have their enemies, con¬ 
sequently it was imperative that they remain strong. As free 
from sentiment as nature may prove herself, nonetheless her 
laws are effective, since by eliminating the weaker ones in such 
manner, the strong always father the coming generation. 

Such process of eliminating the unfit is by no means limited 
to reptiles. By a somewhat different process, certain migratory 
water fowl resort to the most cruel method of eliminating the 
unfit of their kind, before the flock ever becomes burdened 
with their presence and care. The process is different, to be 
sure, but the objective to be attained is the same. They build 
their nests near the lakes and some height from the ground. 
When the young have attained such physical development as 
will enable them, in their mother’s opinion, to swim, she tum¬ 
bles them out of the nest with her beak. If the fall kills them, 
then well and good. Those who survive the fall will be taken 
down to the lake for swimming lessons, as well as to be taught 
something of the art of fishing. Consequently, when the time 
comes to make the long flight South the flock is not impeded 
by reason of weaklings. 

While the story was entirely new, we could readily see that 
the many points involved were entirely reasonable. That they 
do use their heads as weapons every one knows who has culti¬ 
vated much of an acquaintance with them. Dig a hole in the 
ground and drop one into it. It will be observed presently that 
he commences pounding the sides of the hole, presumably in 
the hope of finding a soft entrance leading into a side cavity, 
whereby he may make his escape. 

We have encountered many who were wholly unacquainted 
with the ways of the serpent who learned this one secret by 
losing a rattler they felt confident they had marked for their 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


47 


own. Finding him in the doorway of a gopher hole, they would 
block his exit with care, intending to return the following day 
with spade and dig him out. To their surprise they would 
learn, on their return, that he had dug himself out first. Thus 
trapped and left to his own devices he will lose no time drill¬ 
ing a round hole through the earth, thus evading his captor. 

The python finds his hard beak a convenient weapon with 
which to subdue his prey. Suspending himself from a limb 
overhanging a trail through the jungle, he delivers a blow with 
such force as to take all the fight out of the average animal. 
Then, before he can completely recover from the shock, his 
bones are all crushed. 

As we listened to the details of this rather unusual combat, 
considering the posture of the two rattlers, we could not but 
reflect over the incident, vainly endeavoring to establish some 
connection between this habit of the serpent and the caduceus, 
that ancient emblem, dating back to ancient Egypt and Greece. 
Previously we had treated the subject very lightly—never for 
an instant did it occur to us that artists of the past had accu¬ 
rately depicted an actual event, but rather regarded it as a bit 
of the creative genius of some artist or craftsman possessing 
an overstimulated imagination. 

It is a matter of common knowledge that the rattler is more 
in love with dry land than with water, but anyone who fancies 
himself safe from their menace while out in the water would 
do well to revise his views on the subject, since they swim lakes, 
ponds and rivers with as much ease as a duck, and might be 
encountered almost anywhere. They are capable of inflating 
themselves like an innertube. Their buoyancy, therefore, en¬ 
ables them to devote all their energies to swimming, and none 
is consumed in the process of keeping afloat. 

Uncle Dave’s war, sport, or pastime, whichever one might 
elect to term it, is by no means without its hazards, as the 
reader might readily surmise. The rules governing the game 
are by no means as liberal as that of baseball—one strike, and 
you’re out. 

When a sufficient inspection of one of these holes has been 
made, and his telltale signs warrant the conclusion that such 


48 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


a dugout has a tenant, then comes the dangerous task of locat¬ 
ing him. The danger is somewhat remote, provided he is in¬ 
side the hole, as would be the case during cold or rainy days, 
but on warm winter or spring days he delights in coming forth 
from his damp quarters and taking his sun bath. In doing this 
he employs all his serpent cunning to the end that no possible 
passerby may discover his presence. First, he shuns with 
meticulous care all holes with barren surroundings. Occasion¬ 
ally he takes up a position in front of his hole to sun himself, 
but only in cases where the front yard is ideal but the back 
yard too barren to enable him to hide himself. While he en¬ 
deavors to cover his tracks like a spy, he will leave some sign 
which the trained observer will take note of. An occasional 
heavy rain during his period of hibernation will serve to oblit¬ 
erate all sign, but should rain fail, then he takes no chances— 
he does not like the idea of being betrayed by his own markings 
upon the ground. Hence he slides quietly away, taking up 
residence across the branch on another hillside, or maybe some 
distance away on the same knoll. 

Such tactics are often the cause of the most skilled hunters 
excavating a dozen holes before they finally come upon the 
culprit who has been the cause of them thus laboring in vain. 

Once it has been determined from the fresh sign encoun¬ 
tered that the rattler is about his premises, then comes the 
thrilling task of finding him—an undertaking fraught with the 
greatest imaginable danger unless one has been painstakingly 
coached by some person thoroughly conversant with his manner 
of life. The thrills to be had lion hunting in the wilds of Africa 
surely rate first by the barest margin, if danger and difficulty 
of detection are to be considered as part of the excitement. On 
one occasion we witnessed one fully six feet in length and 
weighing eight or nine pounds hiding underneath a sheer de¬ 
posit of wiregrass little larger than an average size straw hat. 
He was so nearly invisible to the human eye that the most 
skilled hunter would have passed him by time and again with¬ 
out discovering his presence. He delights in tucking himself 
away in a deposit of dead wiregrass. When enemies come near 
he often thrusts his head and neck outside the grass to observe 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


49 


every movement of those seeking him. Due to the nature of 
the markings about his head and neck, or should we say lack 
of markings, these parts of his anatomy are about as nearly 
invisible as anything imaginable. The sheerest deposit of grass 
or straw over his main body will render it completely invisible. 
Under such circumstances, if one values his life, he must comb 
every single inch of ground trodden, and at all hazards avoid 
stepping upon deposits of grass which have not been pried into. 
The least departure from such practice might very easily ter¬ 
minate in fatal consequences. During this crucial phase of the 
hunt he dares not move his head, neither dart his black forked 
tongue, lest it betray his presence. 

Unless trodden under foot, or deliberately provoked, he is 
very docile and slow to anger. Those of nervous temperament, 
or highly excitable natures, should under no circumstances haz¬ 
ard their lives by engaging in such a dangerous pastime. One 
has not the slightest assurance that they will not be found 
standing within six inches of his head before discovering his 
presence. Under such circumstances it takes a man with cool 
and steady nerve to pass on without behaving unseemly. To 
jump like a frightened mule, screaming at the same time, is 
likely to call forth instant action on the part of the serpent. 
His reflexes take care of the situation for him, and you are 
likely to be bitten, when it was his will, purpose and desire to 
remain at peace. 

Reptiles do not trust men, and for good reason. If it were 
possible for all mankind to adopt a wholly uniform attitude 
toward them, then an eventual and enduring truce might be 
arranged. Where the same men work with the same reptiles 
for long they lose their desire for war with them on sight, and 
can be handled with comparative ease. If an utter stranger 
shows up among those who normally visit with him he almost 
invariably goes into a rage. The following incident serves to 
illustrate the point. A darkey who was engaged working pine 
trees in the woodland ran upon one, but, being afraid, passed 
him by. The reptile crawled into some nearby shrubbery, 
knowing full well that he had been seen. It finally came to the 
point that the serpent didn’t mind an encounter with the 


50 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


darkey, they being prety well acquainted by this time. Event¬ 
ually the overseer came along and the darkey related his expe¬ 
rience. Being asked to look the rattler up for him, he shot the 
head off him. So-. 

This warfare between men and reptiles is as old as the 
human race, and it is but natural that he should regard the 
slightest menacing gesture as a threat upon his life. 

One whose nerves have been thoroughly steeled by reason 
of many such previous experiences would pass on out of dan¬ 
ger with steady stride, pretending that he had never seen the 
rattler, then turn back and take him captive, or either make 
an end of him. To the uninitiated this would appear more like 
the conduct of a nitwit, but when undertaken with perfect calm, 
soon becomes mere routine. 

We had occasion once to take the lead in the capture of as 
large a specimen as it has ever been our privilege to view in 
captivity. He was lying outside the hole on a warm day in 
early March. He was lithe and full of action. It was an occa¬ 
sion seldom enjoyed to make some really worthwhile photo¬ 
graphs and general observations. This, incidentally, being our 
chief interest in the hunt, we assumed all the real danger, per¬ 
mitting the assistant to stand at a safe distance for the purpose 
of rendering aid if called for. 

Lowering the noose directly in front of his nose, we gave 
it a few backward thrusts to get same past his large square 
jaws. Using a stick only one-half the length of the serpent, we 
were secretly hoping that he would not make a scene. Even 
while we speculated over such eventuality he dashed with such 
speed that we lost sight of him. This six-foot stick of dyna¬ 
mite raced through the noose with such speed that we were 
defeated utterly in our effort to take up the slack in the loop. It 
became necessary to turn our head quickly and focus upon him 
again. He performed a semi-circle, going about ten or fifteen 
feet down the hill, then wheeling suddenly and heading directly 
for his hole. We had blocked the entrance to his underground 
quarters with the spade and took up a position almost imme¬ 
diately in front of it. As he sped over the dead wiregrass and 
litter his “ground-grip” tires literally whistled—“Z-e-e-e-r-”— 



CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


51 


slithering as he went, thereby getting double traction. Heading 
straight for our feet he stopped short within three or three 
and one-half feet of us, turning his head quickly in all direc¬ 
tions, looking for his hole which had, to his complete discom¬ 
fiture, vanished from view (as explained, it had been closed 
with the spade). He was faced with a situation which required 
that he evolve new strategy. Being thus outwitted, he sank 
slowly down into the wiregrass, lying as flat as possible upon 
it, even bearing upon the very ground with his chin, kidding 
himself into believing that he had never been seen. Then came 
our opportunity. Easing the noose over his head and jaws, we 
succeeded in taking up all the slack. With a firm grip upon 
him, the end of the short staff was pressed into the ground. 
With him securely tied, the real labor and risk incident to his 
capture was at an end. During all this time his general de¬ 
meanor did not change—he appeared more frightened than 
angry—the expression of his eyes did not change. He at no 
time assumed a menacing posture, but was interested only in 
making his escape. 

Growing out of this adventure we gained a bit of knowledge 
shared by few people, i.e., when occasion demands he possesses 
real speed. Ordinarily they travel snail’s pace. It is so univer¬ 
sally believed that their slothful manner of travel is all they 
have that almost everyone is lulled into a sense of false 
security. 

In addition to his many and varied arts, he is an adept at 
psychology. When he is encountered in the woodland by those 
unacquainted with his ways, they usually take note of the direc¬ 
tion in which he is crawling as well as the pace at which he is 
traveling, and then turn aside for a distance of fifty or one 
hundred feet to get a pole with which to kill him. No sooner 
than he observes that his antagonist has taken his eyes off him 
he speeds at the pace of the hare for the nearby underbrush. 
On the return of the man to the scene, though he had taken his 
eyes off him for no more than a quarter or half minute, there 
was no rattler anywhere to be found. Such incidents are fre¬ 
quently being reported, and those victimized by his craftiness 
spend the remainder of their lives wondering how he managed 
to perform such a seemingly impossible physical feat. 


52 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


They have been known to dodge the blow aimed at them 
and slither up the pole to the very hands of his assailant before 
the latter discerned fully what was happening. By forming 
his body into two or more “S’s”, climbing with his tractor grip 
and slithering at the same time, he managed to span the dis¬ 
tance in the twinkling of an eye, maintaining his balance upon 
the pole in the process. 

It is quite evident that few people are aware of the speed 
of many species of reptiles. Even experts are very easily de¬ 
ceived. One observer, whom I have no reason whatever to 
doubt, related having seen a coachwhip outdistance a hare in 
a fair foot race. As the hare passed him he realized that he 
was, or appeared to be, in grave danger. The color of the 
snake blended with that of the dead crab-grass littering the 
field in which he was working at the time. The above factors, 
combined with the speed at which this slender snake was mov¬ 
ing, proved to be just too much for his eyes—he simply did 
not see him. Soon the rabbit stopped and commenced crying. 
Then his mere suspicions became a grim reality—the coach- 
whip had him wrapped all about. 

Insofar as Uncle Dave’s experience with them, and the ex¬ 
perience of his boys, it has been much safer hunting them than 
leaving them alone. Two were bitten before his declaration 
of war, and none since, and it might be added that the closest 
shave the old gentleman ever experienced was while he was 
engaged in a perfectly peaceful pursuit. However, he makes 
no denial of the fact that on more than one occasion he has 
been literally fanned by the breeze from off “Old Father 
Time’s” whiskers. 

Once, in the process of clearing up the opening to one of 
these holes, he raked the leaves off one’s back with ungloved 
hands. On another occasion, while in a sitting position, dig¬ 
ging for one, he arose to find himself sitting upon the one for 
which he was digging. 

Again, thinking the one he was trailing to be in the hole, he 
lay down upon him, and the rattler did not register the slight¬ 
est displeasure at the presence of his uninvited bedfellow. 

He and a fellow worker were busily engaged blazing a trail 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


53 


through a dense swamp for a lumber company. Walking up 
to a stalwart slash pine to make the usual blaze with his axe 
in hand, he paused, looked straight up the body of the giant 
pine, placed his right foot upon a slight elevation at the root 
of the tree, throwing the weight of his body upon the left— 
“Look out, Uncle Dave!” shouted his companion in excite¬ 
ment, “You’re standing on a rattler.” Instantly Uncle Dave 
stepped backward a pace or two, responding without the 
slightest indication that his emotions were out of control, 
“Danged if I weren’t.” Without further ceremony the old 
gentleman stooped low and removed one of his shoestrings 
for the purpose of making a noose. With a keen-edged hunt¬ 
ing knife he cut and trimmed himself a stocky “shoot” from 
a nearby cluster of tupelo gums, and was busily engaged ad¬ 
justing the noose. “Uncle Dave,” spake his companion, who 
had by this time somewhat recovered from the terrible shock 
he had just received, “Shorely the Good Lord mus’ be awatch- 
in’ o’er ye.” Uncle Dave was busy by now placing the noose 
over the rattler’s neck. The reptile showed no sign whatever 
of anger. To the above remark Uncle Dave responded very 
simply, “Them things jes don’t like the smell o’ some people.” 

During the Revolutionary War, and before the United 
States flag with its stars and stripes was approved as our 
national emblem, some of our colonial soldiers fought under a 
flag with the likeness of a rattler delineated upon it, together 
with the admonition, “DON’T TREAD ON ME.” Now, to 
the average person that is splendid advice, but Uncle Dave 
takes orders from no rattler—he’ll tread where he jolly well 
pleases. 

On one occasion to which reference has been made above, he 
had his closest call. Diamond-backs were far from his mind. 
He and a co-worker were bent upon finishing a job of “chip¬ 
ping” some pine timber along the lowlands adjacent to a small 
river. Amidst the pine timber was a liberal sprinkling of 
southern cypress, the limbs of which were draped profusely 
with tufts of Spanish moss, swaying rhythmically with the 
breeze. There had recently been tremendous downpours of 
rain, with the result that the lowlands were flooded with the 


54 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


deluge which the normal channel of the river could not accom¬ 
modate. Uncle Dave was leading the way as the two churned 
along the cattle trail through the underbrush. More than once 
he had gotten his legs fouled with long tufts of moss which 
had lost its grip upon overhanging cypress limbs and had fallen 
into the water. “Another strand of moss,” he remarked to 
himself as he drew his right leg along through the water with 
difficulty, but his friend in the rear had different ideas as to 
what was impeding his progress—he was looking directly 
down upon Uncle Dave’s lower extremity, and what he saw 
caused his hair to stand on end and his eyes to bulge and shine 
like peeled onions, while his lower jaw dropped down to an 
abnormally low position. He had a feeling that his blood had 
been heavily charged with powdered frost. He was speechless, 
and even if he had possessed the power of speech, and had 
thereby caused his companion to come to a standstill by telling 
him of his predicament, it surely would have brought upon 
him fatal consequences. This is an example of what rare pres¬ 
ence of mind one engaging in this pastime should possess if 
they are long to survive the hazards of the game. 

Forming a ring about Uncle Dave’s right leg was a five-foot 
diamond-back. Each time he would “park” his right foot to 
advance the left, the snake would rear his head, mouth wide 
open, and with fangs exposed, make ready to deal him a deadly 
blow. Just at each fatal moment Uncle Dave would, as he 
walked leisurely along, advance the menaced leg, with the 
result that the rattler would be dragged beneath the surface 
of the water. Just how long this situation continued the ob¬ 
server could not say with any degree of certainty—he w T as 
paralyzed with fear. He knew well that if he screamed a 
warning to his pardner that he would stop to survey the situa¬ 
tion and then the worst would happen. Finally, to his relief, 
Uncle Dave chanced to look down to see if he would ever rid 
himself of this troublesome moss. He leaped like a jungle cat, 
thereby extricating himself from the coil of the snake.* 

Anyone being bitten in any rural community by one of these 
reptiles produces somewhat the same effect upon the morale 
of the residents as the raiding of some small village of Africa 


♦See sketch, page 126. 



CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


55 


or India by a man-eating tiger. This often happens in these 
jungle countries, and the beast usually makes his getaway with 
his hapless victim which ofttimes is an infant in the cradle. 
Men tread with great caution both by day and night, and for 
weeks avoid going forth after nightfall unless urgent necessity 
drives them forth. As with the villagers of Africa or India, 
you can always count upon the fear subsiding as the horrifying 
occurrence takes on age, but the details of the tragedy will be 
related for two or three generations, never losing any of its 
shudder-provoking qualities. 

We recall one particularly pathetic occurrence of the kind, 
within the circle of our friends. Any such tragedy is always 
to be regretted, to be sure, but particularly so in this instance 
by reason of other related circumstances. A blind old gentle¬ 
man, in extreme old age, lived near a green bayou along a 
small river. He had never known ought but poverty, and 
withal a pious and venerable old gentleman. One of his sons, 
a mere lad though he was, had completely won his rough old 
heart. He was so solicitous of his father’s welfare that he 
gradually, and it might be said almost unconsciously, assumed 
all the duties which his father in his blindness was compelled 
to call upon some other member of the family to perform. It 
was in early July. The blueberries in the bayou were ripe, and 
the season having been a particularly favorable one, they were 
both plentiful and luscious. It was felt that inasmuch as a 
beneficent providence had supplied these good things in such 
abundance almost at their door, it would be criminal folly on 
their part if they did not go forth and garner them, that their 
larder might be full during the long months of summer, fall, 
winter and spring. Like the dutiful son that he was, the young 
chap went forth with the party to perform the task the father 
had Assigned them. Their labor was yielding a return which, 
if looked upon for long, would produce an uncontrollable flow 
of saliva—buckets full and buckets full of berries so blue that 
they were almost black. 

This young fellow was walking along a fallen pine log, 
which rested slightly off the ground. The loose bark suddenly 
peeled off, letting the boy down on the ground astride the log. 


56 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


Whatever Fate it is that determines men’s destinies decreed 
that he should fall directly into the coil of one of these brutes. 
Immediately came the whir-r-r, accompanied by a swish and 
sickening thud. No member of the party need be told what 
had happened. The lad fell to the ground, not by reason of 
the paralyzing effect of the venom, but rather by the sheer 
force of the blow dealt him. He arose quickly, only to be dealt 
a second blow which threw him to the ground again. Arising 
once more, he took the third and final stroke. This time he 
failed to regain his feet. The other children quickly centered 
about him, forming themselves into a human chain, and 
reached him a hand that he might be drawn away to a place 
of safety. The remainder of the story need not be told. 

On occasions such as this, when the last rites had been paid 
this unfortunate chap, men talked together in subdued tones. 
It is always the consensus of opinion that the county, state, or 
the federal government should take action. Somebody should 
do something, but it becomes the age-old story of what is every¬ 
body’s business is nobody’s business. Subsequent to this unfor¬ 
tunate occurrence came the attack upon Uncle Dave’s sons. 
These tragic incidents so worked upon his mind that he finally 
reached the conclusion that, regardless, he would undertake 
the task himself. 

Men of the community, neighbors and friends of the stricken 
family, conceived the idea of burning the old bayou, which 
afforded him almost perfect protection. 

Now after this fiery tempest had spent itself, few casual 
observers, viewing the scene of it, would have voiced the 
opinion that such a creature could have escaped all this fury 
unscathed. The tallest living trees were seared to the topmost 
boughs. The smaller ones, including palmetto and underbrush, 
were reduced to heaps of bleached ashes. It being dry weather, 
most of the topsoil, composed almost wholly of decayed vege¬ 
table matter, had been consumed down to the natural soil. Yet 
the trail of the rattler pointed unerringly to the fact that he 
had escaped without injury. Fire had been strewn entirely 
around this dense jungle spot, leaving him seemingly without 
any possible avenue of escape. 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


57 


To Uncle Dave it was readily understandable. He had had 
an experience once which served to lay bare this old wizard’s 
strategy. He and his boys had gone hunting for them once 
during the winter months when the whole earth was all but 
inundated by reason of continuous cloudbursts. The whole face 
of the earth was so soft by reason of these continuous rains that 
the sod would quiver for several feet around when any mem¬ 
ber of the party stamped heavily upon the ground. The gopher 
holes were filled to overflowing. Severe cold had not followed 
these rains as ordinarily happens during winter months, so he 
reasoned that they would be lying out of their holes sunning 
themselves in this spring-like sunshine. His reasoning proved 
to be well founded. They had doubled and trebled their nor¬ 
mal catch during this balmy period of winter weather when 
the rattler’s quarters were rendered uninhabitable. Two fac¬ 
tors were working in the old gentleman’s favor just at this 
time, and he was not the type of person to miss such an oppor¬ 
tunity. Much to their surprise, one large fellow determined 
that he would not be taken captive, so made a lunge for his 
hole, slithering all the way to the bottom of it, leaving the pool 
of water a creamy color and the surface frothing with yellow 
foam. Seating himself upon a nearby log, and with absolute 
calm, he said to his boys: “I suppose we can rest out here bet¬ 
ter than he can down there.” So saying, he had one of them 
prepare a noose and “ring” the hole of water with it. Soon 
the water boiled violently and the old villain’s uninviting coun¬ 
tenance surfaced through the foam in the very center of the 
noose. One quick, firm jerk, and he had the halter on him. 
Having observed all this, it was no difficult matter for him to 
follow the mental processes of the one which fanged his neigh¬ 
bor’s son gathering huckleberries. In these spring heads and 
bayous are always found spots where subterranean streams 
surface. Falling leaves and other decaying vegetable matter 
eventually transforms such spots into an impenetrable morass. 
The rattler had simply availed himself of the protection it 
afforded until traveling became safe and comfortable over the 
ash deposit left in the wake of the fire. 

On another occasion a number of imprisoned rattlers were 


58 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


left out in the open in a box with a watertight bottom. During 
the night there came a downpour of rain followed by intense 
cold. In the morning they were found coiled peacefully be¬ 
neath six inches of water, completely imprisoned by an inch of 
ice on the surface of the water. Placed in a warm spot the ice 
soon melted and they crawled forth to sun themselves. 
Whether or not he is so classified by zoologists, he would ap¬ 
pear to answer the description of a true amphibian. They have 
been found fifteen or twenty miles out on the high seas and 
getting along very nicely. 

In many parts of the West the small black rattler, when the 
cold of approaching winter causes them to abandon their 
hunting and seek a place of hibernation, may locate a spacious 
cave in the rocks. They come for miles around and thousands 
of them share the comforts of a common rendezvous. The 
ground near such place of hibernation may be literally covered 
with them. Conditions along the coastal plains of Georgia are 
decidedly different. On rare occasions two may form a dual¬ 
occupancy arrangement, and three have been found in one hole. 
Then a dozen may be found in a single square mile of terri¬ 
tory. But, generally speaking, they must be hunted down one 
at a time, and it is indeed a game of hide-and-seek. Sometimes 
Uncle Dave will hunt all day long without so much as finding 
the trail of one. On other occasions, when all factors happily 
combine to favor him, he may bag a dozen large ones. On such 
occasions, when friends inquire of his luck, he replies, “They 
bit well today.”* With the above well fixed in mind, the reader 
will gain a comprehensive idea of the difficulty of tracking 
down the diamond-back as well as the labor and time which 
must have been expended tracking down three hundred or more 
of these killers. This old gentleman possesses no land of his 
own, yet he has rendered to others a service which could not 
be compensated for in dollars and cents. About the only com¬ 
pensation he has received for his labors thus far is the trifling 
sums paid him by operators of snake farms. He does not, 
however, pause to lament this fact, but continues the prosecu¬ 
tion of his private war, notwithstanding his seventy-five years, 
semi-deafness, and seriously impaired vision. He has trained 


*See photographs, page 132. 



CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


59 


a small army of hunters, among whom are his four sons, that 
they may carry on the war when his vision has become so poor 
as not to warrant incurring further risk. 

His labors were on one occasion rewarded by bringing in 
alive such a splendid specimen that he conceived the idea of 
keeping him in a screened box for a time that his friends might 
come and view him. Finally this became tiresome to the ladies 
of the household, so frequently were they interrupted from 
their domestic duties. 

The last person to view him alive was an old darkey who 
came up out of a nearby woodland where he had been “streak¬ 
ing” his turpentine trees. He had imbibed rather freely some 
of the contents of a flask containing his favorite “snake-bite 
remedy”—raw, unrefined, Georgia corn liquor. Having viewed 
the rattler for some time, he turned to go away, but paused 
and inquired: “Miss, you sez you wants dis snake kilt?” The 
lady reaffirmed her intentions of having it done, but without 
the slightest idea of the thoughts that were taking definite form 
in his mind. Turning back, he picked up the box and emptied 
its deadly contents upon the ground in the back yard. Teaping 
upon him with the suddenness of a wild Rocky Mountain goat, 
he stamped the life out of him in less time than it takes to 
relate the story, while the lady stood aside, horrified, breath¬ 
less, and too paralyzed to speak. After regaining her com¬ 
posure, but still under the influence of uncontrollable rage, 
she said: “Why, you crazy man, what on earth do you mean? 
If you are so anxious to die, then please go back into the woods. 
If the sheriff should find a dead man in my back yard, he 
might want me to do some explaining to a jury.” Such a sting¬ 
ing rebuke served somewhat to sober him, and he said, apolo¬ 
getically, “Miss, d’as de way I alius kills ’em, an’ I nevah is 
bin bit yit.”** 

We have read many articles by herpetologists, or reptile 
experts, holding forth to public ridicule the contention of lay¬ 
men to the effect that some serpents will, in time of danger, 
swallow their young. They have, so they say, successfully ex¬ 
ploded such myths. All they have offered, insofar as the writer 
is aware, has been purely from a standpoint of theory, such 


**See sketch, page 126. 



60 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


theories being diametrically opposed to many reputable wit¬ 
nesses personally known to the writer. 

From early youth we felt disposed to believe the laymen’s 
contentions due to the fact that they all followed the same 
general trend. Many to whom we are indebted for these 
stories had spent their lives in territory heavily infested by 
these reptiles, and surely they had every reason to know. As 
we viewed it, there were too many reports to admit of this 
being mere creations of their own imagination. We had read 
all that scientific men had to say on the subject and finally 
reached the conclusion that if anyone should know the whole 
truth it should be the layman who had spent his life among 
these creatures. But to find a person who had been actual wit¬ 
ness to such an occurrence proved a task requiring great pa¬ 
tience—it proved as elusive and difficult to lay hold upon as 
the proverbial pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. During 
the time we were in search of convincing testimony we pursued 
many a will-o’-the-wisp. But it proved to Be one of those myths 
which appeared destined never to be crushed to earth to rise 
no more. Many investigations were abandoned for the reason 
that we were unable to contact parties actually making the 
observation. We did not want any hearsay evidence. By 
chance we came upon two highly reputable persons who had 
actually witnessed this unusual feat. Though the whole scien¬ 
tific world holds to contrary views, we are willing to present 
this to the reading world permitting them to render final judg¬ 
ment. We reproduce herewith two affidavits made by eye¬ 
witnesses exactly as they were given to us: 

Saint George, Georgia 
November 24, 1941 

To Whom It May Concern: 

This will inform anyone interested that I was born and 
reared in Charlton County, Georgia, and have spent my entire 
lifetime in close proximity to the Okefenokee Swamp, in a 
region heavily infested with diamond-back rattlesnakes. I am 
now thirty-three (33) years of age, and for a considerable 
portion of this time I have acted as caretaker for a large tract 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


61 


of wild land, consisting of eleven thousand (11,000) acres, 
near the swamp. As a part of my duty as caretaker I am eter¬ 
nally vigilant in exterminating the diamond-back, and due to 
this fact have had opportunity to make some rather interesting 
observations, some of which are made mention of below: 

Once I came upon a rattler at the opening of a gopher hole. 
She immediately sought refuge in the gopher’s abandoned 
home, which necessitated some digging. When I came upon 
her, both the mother and the male were present in the bottom 
of the hole, together with eighteen little ones running loose in 
the “dug-out,” all of them about seven inches in length. When 
all of the twenty had been slain, I was amazed to take note 
of two more little ones crawling out of the mouth of the 
mother. 

On another occasion, while in pursuit of my daily duties as 
caretaker of the above-described property, I was attracted to 
a noise I was not accustomed to hearing. It very closely resem¬ 
bled the blowing, or hissing, of a goose. It was finally located 
and proved to be a large diamond-back rattler blowing in this 
manner to attract the attention of her young, who were re¬ 
sponding beautifully. She was lying straight along by the side 
of a pine log with lower jaw resting upon the ground, her 
mouth wide open, and throat greatly distended, while the little 
ones went slithering along through her open throat into an 
inner receptable. I witnessed six of the young crawl through 
her open throat, all of them about seven inches in length. 
When she had been killed, I opened the carcass with my knife 
and found eighteen of the young inside her. 

(Signed) Bruce Thompson. 

Sworn to and subscribed before me this, the eleventh day of 
December, 1940. (Signed) L. N. Norman, J.P. Justice of the 
Peace, 59th District, Charlton County. 

Mr. Thompson is highly respected and would be believed 
by anyone who ever knew him even though he made the state¬ 
ment merely on his honor as a gentleman. 

If the above affidavit does not convince the reader, then 
careful attention should be given the one below. The affiant 


62 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


spent twelve years of his life as prosecuting attorney for the 
Waycross judicial circuit of the state of Georgia and is now 
serving as representative in Congress for the eighth district 
of Georgia. This should speak for itself: 

Douglas, Georgia 
May 27, 1940 

State of Georgia, County of Coffee: 

To Whom It May Concern: 

I am forty-seven years of age. Was born in Charlton Coun¬ 
ty, Georgia, within three miles of the Okefenokee Swamp, and 
have lived an outdoor life practically all my years, and in ter¬ 
ritory heavily infested with the southern diamond-back rattle¬ 
snake. On many occasions I have been witness to their varied 
acts while in the wild state which indicate an intelligence and 
cunning which almost baffles human understanding. I consider 
the following incident to be very decidedly the most interesting 
observation I ever made: 

At the time spoken of above I was alone in the timbered 
lands. Being fatigued as the result of the long jaunt I had 
taken, I sat down to rest and remained on the spot much longer 
than I had anticipated, remaining quiet and practically motion¬ 
less all of the time. Finally my attention was attracted by a 
noise among the leaves and litter with which the spot was cov¬ 
ered. Looking in the direction from whence the disturbance 
came, to learn the cause of it, I discovered a female rattlesnake 
crawling along, directly towards me, accompanied by her 
family of thirteen little ones, scurrying here and there, com¬ 
pletely surrounding their mother. She was evidently surprised 
as I when she came suddenly to a realization of the fact that 
she was in the presence of a human being, her most deadly 
enemy. She lost no time sounding the necessary alarm for the 
benefit of her little ones. This happens to be the only point in 
this remarkable observation which I do not happen to recall 
definitely—just how she attracted the attention of her family 
of young, but as best as I recall, she pounded upon the ground 
with her nose several times. Then, resting her chin upon the 
ground, she opened her mouth wide, distending her throat to 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


63 


several times its normal size, and the little fellows came slith¬ 
ering into her stomach just as though they were entering a hole 
in the ground. Having the little ones securely tucked away 
inside her she made ready for the battle in which she realized 
she would soon be engaged. 

Procuring a suitable stick I struck her with violence, but did 
not inflict a fatal blow the first time. To my surprise, she 
heaved a time or two and rolled them all out upon the ground. 
When I had finished with the task of killing the mother I 
counted the little ones, and the above statement as to the num¬ 
ber of them was verified by counting them again. They were 
about seven inches in length. 

(Signed) Jno. S. Gibson, 

Prosecuting Attorney for the State of Georgia, 
Waycross Judicial Circuit. 

Sworn to and subscribed before me this, May 27, 1940. 
(Signed) M. L. Preston, Notary Public, State of Georgia, 
State at Large. (Seal) 

I had occasion to question a third observer of this particular 
occurrence, and admit my own surprise on learning that the 
mother rattler did not employ exactly the same tactics on either 
of the three occasions. This observer stated that she employed 
her rattles as a means of attracting the attention of the young, 
not whirring them volently, but by a single click at the time 
making a noise somewhat resembling a hen calling her brood— 
“chick-chick-chick-chick.” Such, however, should not be em¬ 
ployed for the purpose of impeaching the testimony of the 
other two witnesses. It rather confirms what has been related 
hereinbefore, namely, that the rattler’s storehouse of tricks 
seems never to be completely exhausted. 

In the light of this testimony it would seem that men of 
science should abandon their present contention, unless they 
be literally obsessed with a passion for bolstering up tottering 
theories. When we came into possession of this valuable in¬ 
formation we stood convinced that similar stories filtering in 
to us all through life were likewise true. There is little wonder 
that such stories are universally denied, since it is very doubt- 


64 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


ful if more than one person in a million of those living in in¬ 
fested territory will ever be witness to such a rare occurrence. 
To admit that it is rarely observed is not admitting that it does 
not occur. 

We once read an article in a splendid publication having a 
circulation of approximately one and one-half millions of the 
intelligentsia of the nation. The author of the article had evi¬ 
dently read all that was ever recorded on the subject, and con¬ 
sequently knew. This particular “pet myth current among lay¬ 
men” was set at nought, wholly upon the theory that if swal¬ 
lowed they would surely be destroyed by the digestive juices 
of the mother’s stomach, or be smothered before she could 
transport them to a place of safety. If they passed successfully 
through both these dreadful ordeals, then they could not pos¬ 
sibly regain the open again due to the fact that the upper end 
of the mother’s throat are to be found so many briar-like 
thorns, all pointing downward. 

It has come within my own observation and experience that 
they do not suffocate so easily. I once saw one dug out of the 
earth where he had been imprisoned in a very small cavity for 
three and one-half months, being none the worse from the ex¬ 
perience. The mother rattler is capable of distending her 
throat to such unbelievable proportions that a bountiful supply 
of fresh air can be readily admitted when needed. 

In substantiation of Uncle Dave’s contentions that mated 
rattlers keep in touch with each other through the aid of their 
sunset and dawn call, we offer this further item of testimony. 
The old darkey to whom we are indebted was part Seminole 
Indian, consequently good on observation. He was nearing 
eighty years of age and had spent practically all of his life 
following outdoor pursuits. Opportunity was never afforded 
him to exchange views with Mr. Nettles. He knew of his own 
knowledge that the rattler sings his song each night between 
sunset and dusk and at the dawn of each day. He recognized 
it when he heard it, and on such occasions would locate it defi¬ 
nitely with the idea in view of trapping the singer when he 
again chipped boxes in the vicinity. Already having this fellow 
marked for destruction, when he next chipped his trees he 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


65 


would depart from his usual procedure as he again approached 
the spot where he knew him to be. He would pursue the same 
general strategy as a pointer dog locating birds. When an ex¬ 
perienced bird dog knows rather definitely the location of a 
covey of quail, he completely surrounds this spot for the pur¬ 
pose of verifying his belief, then getting the wind on them he 
proceeds to split the circle, and there you are. This old Negro 
would, with the idea in mind of confusing the rattler, disregard 
his usual order of chipping and would work boldly through 
the area where he knew the rattler to be. This would serve 
the purpose of throwing the rattler on the defensive. As a 
counter-maneuver, the rattler would start crawling, but the 
old Negro had become somewhat of a strategist also and 
would, to offset the rattler’s move, start working in a large 
circle, gradually drawing in toward the center. Such tactics 
on his part seldom failed to bring the two together, to the 
rattler’s complete discomfiture. 

During his long years in the open, he came upon a female 
rattler which had swallowed her young, seeing that a fight was 
eminent. He was carrying his ax along through the woodland, 
holding it by the end of the handle with his right hand, jump¬ 
ing it along the ground as he advanced. Suddenly he found 
himself near the coil of a rattler, preparing to strike. With 
lightning-like speed he jabbed upon the coil with his axe, leap¬ 
ing for his life at the same instant. The sharp edge of the tool 
landed squarely upon the neck of the reptile, severing her head 
from the body. There before his eyes transpired an incident 
which he had heard since boyhood, but had never had occasion 
to witness. The small rattlers came running out at the end of 
her severed neck. 

On the occasion to which we shall presently refer, the old 
wizard had a feeling that his quarry had definitely and for 
good eluded his watchful eye. He had trailed him over newly 
cultivated land and into a rough spot of ground in the center 
of his cornfield. There had once been a rail partition fence 
entirely across the field, but both ends had been torn out and 
the rails used elsewhere on the farm, leaving a small sector of 
the fence in the center of the field, with newly tilled soil en- 


66 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


tirely circling it. The ground surrounding this section of the 
fence was completely covered with briars, grass, broomsedge, 
volunteer plum shrubs and sumac. As a precautionary meas¬ 
ure, and to reassure himself that he had the rattler placed defi¬ 
nitely within the small area, he made two or three trips around 
the spot, returning to the trail he had followed. Finding no 
trail leading away from the locality where he was confident he 
would be found, he commenced his painstaking search, and a 
painstaking search it later proved to be. Over and over the 
same patch of ground he peered, combing every square inch 
of it with a stick, up one side of the fence and then down the 
other, then returning to the starting point and repeating the 
process. Many times he would have abandoned the search as 
hopeless, had he not known positively that the reptile was 
tucked away in a concealed corner, observing his every move 
with black, beady eyes. Like the professional soldier who 
makes the terrain of the country aid him in fighting the battle, 
when Uncle Dave has one cornered, he is often called upon to 
abandon all strategy formerly employed and to adopt wholly 
different tactics, all depending upon the “lay of the land.” The 
nerves of the average man would, just at this junction, have 
failed him completely and he probably would have fled the 
scene, but not so with one so skilled in his art as this old gen¬ 
tleman whose nerves have been long tempered for just such 
occasions. Finally, out of patience, he mumbled to himself, 
“Well, I reckon I will find you.” So, selecting a small pole, 
he mounted the topmost rail of the fence. Walking along 
slowly, looking directly down upon the ground, searching every 
inch of it until he finally located him. The serpent had stretched 
himself along by the side of the bottom rail. It was flat and 
partially buried in the soft dirt so that he was lying as much 
upon the rail as upon the ground. The rail having gone 
almost to decay, with resulting discoloration, afforded a per¬ 
fect background for his dull brown skin. He had deliberately 
chosen such means to elude his pursuer, and had not this rail 
provided what he considered perfect camouflage, then he would 
have coiled himself as is his usual custom. 

Had this little fellow not committed this one indiscreet act 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


67 


he might very well have escaped the penalty of it and lived to 
become a real rattler. The old gentleman was engaged in 
weeding out his rough rail fence row near the barnyard, and 
with five-pronged pitchfork was throwing the weeds over the 
fence into the “rough.” The old “biddy-hen” and her brood 
were following along behind him scratching and garnering a 
bountiful supply of worms and bugs. The little chicks were 
beginning to cut their wing and tail feathers. One little cock¬ 
erel had commenced, at a rather immature age, to assert his 
spirit of independence. He had advanced ahead of all the 
others where the weeds and briars had not been cleaned out, 
hoping, perchance, to find more worms. Suddenly he jumped 
straight up, flapping his wings and cheeping. Running toward 
his mother, he fell down by the wayside. The old mother hen 
lost no time going to investigate. Then, according to Uncle 
Dave, “She commenced one of the durndest fights I ever seed. 
She screamed so loud, fluttered so violently, and fought so 
hard, I almost got scared myself.” So, going up the fence row 
to learn what it was all about, he found her trouncing a small 
two-foot rattlesnake. He had been coiled in the fence jam at 
the time he fanged the little chick, but she proceeded to 
straighten him to full length forthwith. With her anger thor¬ 
oughly aroused, she was suddenly transformed into a fuming 
mass of feathered ferocity. Employing her thirteen weapons 
(ten scratchers, two wings, and a beak) with lightning-like 
speed, the snake could not so much as get organized for a fight. 
He had flattened himself out upon the ground, from chin to 
rattles, awaiting the passing of the storm. The old gentleman 
stood aside while he observed and admired her courage. When 
her desire for revenge had been somewhat appeased, she re¬ 
turned to her brood, clucking, and with feathers all uncombed. 
Advancing upon him with a pitchfork, Uncle Dave addressed 
him as follows: “Why, you durn little fool, ain’t ye got no 
learnin’ ? Anybody could o’ tol’ ye not to mess up with an ol’ 
biddy hen.” Giving him a sideswipe upon the head with the 
flat part of his pitchfork, then impaling him upon the five 
prongs, he proceeded to rake him off his fork over the top rail 
of the fence, then returning to his work. Quite true! The old 


68 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


biddy-hen was the true originator of blitzkrieg. Professional 
soldiers of the present day have merely modernized her art and 
applied it to the science of war. 

When we write of the rattler’s art of hypnotism we are not 
unmindful of the fact that many will be skeptical. Psychology 
and all of its related branches, of which hypnotism is one, is 
a highly complex subject—a subject which must be dealt with 
in the abstract. It is practically impossible to prove anything 
connected with it. None of the five senses seem able to lay 
hold upon it, yet the evidence of it is visible everywhere. Much 
has been learned by dissecting and studying man’s mortal being, 
but when the wisest men the earth ever produced undertake 
to search for that invisible, intangible power called life—that 
mysterious divine spark which serves to make the whole of 
man’s mortal form “click,” they find themselves up against 
impenetrable darkness, and the search ends exactly where it 
began. So when we forsake the study of that which is mortal 
about man and enter into a study of man’s mental processes 
which we call psychology we are leaving this material world 
and delving into the mysteries of the spiritual. Why worry, 
then, that we cannot comprehend it all? Why not accept the 
thought expressed by Sir Isaac Newton, discoverer of the law 
of gravitation, as he strolled with a friend upon a rock-strewn 
beach. Picking up a beautifully polished pebble of varied hue 
for a moment he gave expression to the thought that such tiny 
pebble represented all that man had ever learned concerning 
the natural laws—that an inexhaustible sea of truth lay hidden 
in the ocean’s depths. 

If it should finally be acknowledge that the reptile does 
really possess the power to hypnotize, then may we not treat 
the knowledge of such fact as another polished pebble from 
the ocean’s depths of which he spoke? 

All students of psychology will agree that the human mind 
wants a reason for almost everything when conscious or awake. 
It is known, too, that we possess a subconscious mind which 
operates when we are asleep, and that this subconscious mind 
does not want a reason for anything, but is controlled wholly 
by suggestion. The art of putting our conscious mind to sleep 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


69 


may be accomplished by a variety of means, provided the sub¬ 
ject can concentrate his thinking on a given theme to the ex¬ 
clusion of everything else, and at the same time relax com¬ 
pletely. This is known as hypnotic sleep, when the subject may 
be controlled at will and is completely within the power of the 
one doing the hypnotizing. 

This art is unquestionably employed by certain species of 
reptiles in acquiring their food. Such art is ordinarily referred 
to by lay observers as “charming,” and is resorted to by rattle¬ 
snakes and perhaps other serpents as a means of procuring 
their food supply, such as birds, rodents, and other small game. 


INTELLIGENCE OF “DUMB” ANIMALS 


Considerable space will be devoted hereinafter to the intel¬ 
ligence of birds and animals, which would appear as straying 
somewhat far afield from the subject being treated. For this 
we beg the kind indulgence of the reader. It has been done to 
afford a contrast between the intelligence of the serpent and 
other members of the lower order of animal life. 

Pity the man who discounts the intelligence of “dumb” 
animals. In reality they are dumb, and the animal kingdom 
could not properly aim any criticism at man for such refer¬ 
ence, but when we confuse the meaning of the word dumb with 
the word stupid, as is done by so many members of the human 
family, then they grossly slander members of the lower order 
of animal life, many of which are capable of reasoning to a 
degree comparing favorably with proud man, and in many in¬ 
stances actually outwitting and putting him to shame. 

We are indebted to an old pioneer for the following rather 
brief story relating to his experiences while trapping timber 
wolves: During his early efforts, when there was no scarcity 
of this animal, he succeeded in bagging them with comparative 
ease, but he was driven to the conclusion that among wolves, 
as among dogs, there was a varying degree of intelligence. It 
must be presumed that those rating mediocre and those of a 
low order of intelligence readily fell victims to his cleverly 
prepared traps, and consequently his bag of these crafty ani¬ 
mals was very satisfactory for a long period of time. While 
it appears too uncanny to be true, yet there was good reason 
for believing that they were slowly but surely passing word 
down the line, acquainting every member of the pack with the 
nature of the man-made contrivances which were so rapidly 
decimating their ranks, and warning members to beware of 
them. Surviving members of the pack, which we must conclude 
were endowed with superior intelligence, inasmuch as they had 
eluded man’s most cleverly concealed traps, finally would not 
remain content to leave these traps alone. As they moved to 
and fro in the wilderness in pursuit of game, they would aban¬ 
don the chase and trail man from trap to trap until he had 


70 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


71 


finished locating them, then return at leisure and spring the 
traps, thereby rendering them harmless until man would re¬ 
turn, re-bate and set them again. Not content with springing 
man’s traps, they would then scratch earth and straw over the 
whole of it as if to make a show of their contempt for the 
trapper and his devices. 

To merit the title of leader of the pack, such individuals 
must be strong, ferocious, bold and crafty: he must be leader 
in fact as well as in name. He must be worthy to give orders 
to subordinate members and strong enough to command re¬ 
spect for his authority. It is by no means an unusual occurrence 
for the leader to plan a deer hunt when they have tired of 
feasting upon rabbits and other small game. Realizing the 
fleetness and the endurance of the deer, he plans the chase 
with as much painstaking care and strategy as a professional 
soldier. He knows well that a single wolf could scarcely hope 
to run down a deer without the aid of other members of the 
pack. He realizes, too, that if all members pursue him as a 
pack, nothing more would be gained. So when his quarry has 
been definitely located within a certain area, he places his men 
on post and starts the chase himself. Each member thoroughly 
understands the part he is to play in the chase. Just what 
method or language is employed in stationing his men and 
giving them their instructions is as much the reader’s guess as 
the writer’s. When the leader has begun to weaken and the 
deer has been driven near a post guarded by some other mem¬ 
ber of the pack, the leader signals such sentry to take up the 
chase while he takes time out for rest. In such manner it is 
a very easy task to exhaust the deer and then all members 
enjoy venison, which proves a real delicacy and a refreshing 
change from rabbits, upon which they have feasted so long. 

Should the reader feel disposed to attribute every act of 
the wolf, in which he displays evidence of reasoning processes 
to animal instinct, it might profit him to consider the follow¬ 
ing story, which proves conclusively to the writer that they are 
capable of formulating strategic plans for extricating them¬ 
selves from situations wholly new in their experiences with 
men and hounds. 


72 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


In the foothills and mountains of southern Europe, cattle¬ 
men were sorely troubled by reason of the constant and ex¬ 
pensive depredations of a marauding wolf that had become 
sufficiently man-wise to elude all efforts, of whatever nature, 
devised by man to effect his destruction. Early in life he had 
met with the sad experience which served to sharpen his wits, 
and which might easily have accounted for his turning outlaw. 

A steeltrap had gotten a strong hold upon one of his fore feet 
and while he escaped from its firm grasp, he left the middle 
toes of this foot in the jaws of the trap, with the result that he 
was forever thereafter marked wherever he went, since he left % 
a rack resembling that of some animal with a cloven hoof. 
Therefore, he avoided at all costs spots which presented the 
appearance of having been frequented by men. He viewed with 
suspicion every single spot trodden which bore the slightest 
signs that a trap might be concealed there. Efforts were made 
to poison him with tempting pieces of beef and lamb, but no 
matter how hungry, he would pass all such by. When he made 
a kill, he would not soon return to the same spot, nor would 
he eat a second time from the same carcass. Such precautions 
on his part only served to make his presence in any community 
all the more expensive to cattle men. He chose for himself 
only the sleekest and choicest of every flock attacked, and 
finally acquired the practice of killing for the sheer joy derived 
from the sport. He was pursued by individual hunters wher¬ 
ever he chose to roam and often by small hunting parties, but 
his craftiness proved too much for either men or hounds. Men 
vied with each other for the honor of bringing in his pelt. On 
a few occasions hunters had gained mere glimpses of him and 
had even taken a few shots at him from the hip, but always 
without results. 

When the crimes charged to him had totaled thousands of 
dollars and the fame of Old Split-Foot, as he had come to be 
known, had extended far and wide, cattle men and lovers of 
the chase concluded that the time was opportune to stage one 
of the greatest hunts ever undertaken in their entire region. 
All the hunters within a radius of many miles were apprised 
of the plan. When he had again left his tell-tale tracks about 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


73 


a partially devoured carcass, they knew that Old Split-Foot 
had abandoned his lair and had taken to the woodland and 
cattle range again. It was agreed that they would delay the 
chase until he appeared in a particular region where they felt 
that the terrain of the country would prove most advantageous 
to themselves. It brought great rejoicing when he staged a 
kill in the very region which they had chosen. A broad valley 
led away to the mountains, narrowing gradually, and finally 
ending in a deep gorge with walls so steep that no wolf could 
hope to scale them. Both sides of the valley were fringed with 
a ridge which afforded hunters on horseback a suitable vantage 
point from which to view the chase. They counted upon the 
hounds guarding the broad valley as they drove the wolf be¬ 
fore them. All such details were worked out well in advance 
by the hunters who were to participate in the chase. At their 
“council of war,” to which the wolf was not invited, the plan 
was carefully drawn, even to the minutest detail. It was not 
a healthy situation for the wolf, or would not have appeared 
so had he known what was in store for him at early dawn. 
The chase, once begun, moved along agreeable with precon¬ 
ceived plans. The hunters and hounds gained contact with the 
wolf at the broad end of the valley. They were driving him 
unerringly up the valley in the direction of the gorge. The 
valley was literally dotted with hounds, spread out like a fan 
in the direction of the plains from which the wolf had been 
driven. Seeing that there was no escape for him in that direc¬ 
tion, the horsemen, more nearly resembling a division of cav¬ 
alry than a hunting party, took up their positions, guarding 
both ridges. When all members of the hunting party had taken 
up their positions and were riding recklessly toward the moun¬ 
tain gorge, thrilled over the chase, each speculating as to how 
Old Split-Foot would react to the situation when he found him¬ 
self hopelessly trapped, they suddenly observed that confusion 
reigned supreme in the valley below. 

Now, the pursued one knew every inch of this ground, but 
had not invited just this situation. He knew where this beau¬ 
tiful valley would end. He saw both ridges guarded by horse¬ 
men. He knew also that to his rear was a legion of hounds. 


74 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


Something had to be done, and quickly. As anyone can clearly 
see this had developed into a situation from which ordinary 
animal instinct would not deliver him. So, slackening his pace 
until the pack were upon his very heels, he feigned a stumble, 
permitting every hound to run over him. This proved a master 
stroke. The dogs had not expected it, while he had planned it 
with utmost care, and executed it with superb skill. Before the 
dogs could come to a standstill and to a full realization of 
exactly what had happened, he had disappeared in a great 
cloud of dust, back into the open plains, leaving dogs and men 
thoroughly chagrined. 

During boyhood days we had the pleasure of birdhunting 
with a pointer whose intelligence was so keen that it was not 
only refreshing, it was downright uncanny. Hunting in such 
broad sweeps he frequently encountered quail when entirely 
beyond the range of vision of the hunti'ng party. He would 
leave the birds undisturbed and go bounding back over the 
hills in search of the hunters. When he came up with his 
master he would run squarely into him. On such occasions he 
would not invite punishment by loitering, but would retrace 
his course back to the birds at full speed. It did not require a 
particularly bright hunter to understand that such behavior 
on the part of the dog was intended to convey some urgent 
message to his master. Following the lead of the dog he 
would invariably find him lying down near the covey of quail 
awaiting the arrival of the hunting party. 

On another occasion we succeeded in bagging four quail on 
the first rise. The dog was unquestionably the best I ever saw 
in action, retrieving, combining smell with vision and sense of 
direction. He watched every bird that fell and when the shoot¬ 
ing was over would go to the very spot upon which each bird 
had fallen. We counted four birds as they fell, and were quite 
sure that the count was correct. The dog had also counted 
them, and must have been equally sure of his count. When he 
had recovered three he continued hunting diligently for the 
fourth bird, but without success. Due to his vigilance, we were 
convinced that he knew, too, that there was some mistake, but 
finally he was called away from the spot that we might seek 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


75 


another covey, or possibly scattered singles which escaped us 
on the first rise. When we had gone as far as a quarter of a 
mile, the dog broke away and returned to the scene of the 
shooting. We called him but in vain. He would not return to 
the chase. Seeing that he was determined to have his own way 
in this matter, we, followed him, and to our amazement found 
him scratching at the end of a hollow log. The bird, which 
had been “winged,” was soon recovered, and the dog left the 
spot well satisfied. Whether or not the reader believes it, the 
dog had solved two simple problems in arithmetic. First, he 
added up the birds to four. On leaving the spot he had done 
another problem in subtraction. The result was, three from 
four leaves one. He had gone back for the one and recov¬ 
ered it. 

The crow, by reason of his intelligence, seems to have mer¬ 
ited divine approval inasmuch as he was chosen from among 
the birds of the air and the beasts of the field to feed the 
prophet, Elijah, concealed in the mountain fastness, until the 
wrath of the wicked old queen, Jezebel, might subside. Now 
the crow has a solution to practically every problem, and an 
escape from every emergency. 

We once knew a family that reared one from the nest, hav¬ 
ing stolen him from his parents before he acquired his wing 
feathers. In the process of rearing him, they had fed him 
milk, and he had learned to like it. When he had grown up, 
they had unintentionally provoked him to wrath. Lunch had 
been delayed, and the timepiece he carried in his “innards” 
told him that it was meal time. Visiting the dining room for 
the second or third time and observing that little or nothing 
was being done about his milk, he evidently reasoned that he 
might find a way to stimulate their interest in him. So, snoop¬ 
ing about the kitchen, he observed that one of the young ladies 
had discarded her class ring that she might knead the dough 
for the biscuits. Seizing the opportunity, he took the ring in 
his beak and headed for the open doorway. He was discov¬ 
ered, but too late. Making his getaway, he headed for the 
timbered lands. Returning a few minutes later, he perched 
innocently upon the window sill. The owner of the ring won- 


76 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


dered what motive could have prompted him to commit such 
a crime—she would have delighted in wringing his black neck. 
From a standpoint of revenge, such a course might have been 
recommended, but results would have been lacking. Finally 
out of the tenderness of her heart, she yielded to a finer im¬ 
pulse and gave him his milk instead. When he had his fill of it, 
he disappeared across the field and out into the timbered lands, 
returning presently with the ring, cawing to attract the atten¬ 
tion of the member of the family from which it had been stolen 
and held for ransom. 

The vulture has, at times, enlisted the interest of the writer, 
who has observed for many years that he will not hesitate to 
alight upon the crossbars of telephone lines, but avoids at all 
costs loitering about high tension electric lines. We cannot but 
wonder just which one of his senses reveals the fact to him 
that death is wrapped up in this whole contrivance—surely it 
is not his sense of touch, since none of the flock could ever 
have experienced a shock and lived to profit by the ordeal. 

A friend once related to us some of his experiences with 
members of the fox family which he delighted in chasing. The 
one of which we write simply became too wise for the hunter 
and the well-trained hounds comprising his valuable pack. 
Many are the times when he felt confident he would have him 
in the bag when the chase had ended, and each time he eluded 
his hounds as if by magic. At long last he observed that he 
would lose him in the same area each time. Finally, when 
dawn found them in hot pursuit of the fox, one member of 
the hunting party observed him playing about the rosin vat at 
a turpentine distillery, dusting his feet off with the powdered 
rosin about the vat. Now, almost everyone knows that this 
rosin is a deodorant, completely destroying the animal smell, 
which caused the chase to end at the turpentine plant. The 
fox seemed to enjoy the chase as well as the hounds, and would 
invoke this trick only when he had had enough of the chase 
and wished to elude the pack and have his day of sleep and rest. 

Old Bruin, in addition to enjoying the distinction of being 
the greatest playboy of the forest, is a skilled doctor as well. 
Most modern medical men would withhold their endorsement 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


77 


from some of his practices, but such fact would not worry him 
in the slightest. When he suffers a gunshot wound, he simply 
pounds black mud from the bottom of some lagoon into the 
ugly wound. This, it is claimed, stops the flow of blood and 
cools the fever. A hunter returning from the great Okefenokee 
Swamp relates having killed a bear which had been suffering 
from gunshot wounds, which had later become infected with 
the larvae of the dread “screw-worm fly.” This, incidentally, 
was a new pest which the bear had never before encountered, 
a pest which attacks the living as well as the dead. Instinct 
would have failed him had such been the only guiding influ¬ 
ence. He had resorted to a remedy wholly new in the jungle 
hospital—he had simply pounded the wound full of fresh tur¬ 
pentine gum obtained from trees men had been working. 
Every living larvae had been destroyed and the wound was all 
but healed. Thus his skill compared favorably with that of 
the average veterinarian. 

The following brief story from the pen of a gentleman who 
had spent much time in the wild, gunning for both birds and 
small game, deserves to be related and pondered well. This 
man was more than a hunter; he was an ornithologist of note, 
interesting himself as much in the life and habits of game birds 
as he did in bagging them. With dog and gun he had gone 
out for quail on the day the incident occurred. He had en¬ 
tered a pine thicket by the side of a cultivated field feeling that 
his chances of flushing a covey of quail were very favorable in 
the particular locality being hunted out. At the time he entered 
the wooded spot he had taken notice of a flock of crows on 
the farther side of the field. He was positive that they had 
taken notice of himself, inasmuch as he had been walking in 
plain view of them, and anyone accustomed to outdoor life 
will testify that they do not pass anything by unnoticed. To 
his amazement, a single member of the flock followed him into 
the timbered spot, and when the bird came within firing range 
he opened up with his shotgun, firing two or three times before 
fatal wounds were finally inflicted upon him. He was amazed 
at the queer behavior of the bird, taking notice at the same 
time that other members comprising the flock had remained at 


78 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


a safe distance. He could not dismiss the incident from his 
mind, and finally recalled what another bird expert had related 
bearing upon the same subject. Then the unseemly behavior 
of this crow was perfectly clear to him. It was evident from 
what he saw that this crow had offended against the security 
of the flock by permitting some hunter to stalk the crow family 
and take a shot at them while they were down feeding in the 
field. All who are conversant with the habits of the crow know 
that they always station a sentry on duty in some tall tree to 
watch over them, before they alight in the farmer’s field to 
appease their hunger. The average person is also aware that 
such watchman on the wall who, carelessly, indifferently, or 
otherwise permits injury to come to those who have trusted 
their lives to his keeping, is sure to face execution by the flock. 

On this occasion it must be presumed that they had held a 
criminal session of their court and had adjudged him worthy 
of death. Seeing the hunter with gun conveniently near, he 
had been ordered to his death, to which he went freely. His 
only alternative would have been a slow and agonizing death 
inflicted upon him by the beaks of his fellows, which is their 
usual method of execution. Had the bird fled at the first shot, 
which was a complete miss, the hunter might have had occa¬ 
sion to reason otherwise, but the crow came boldly on for the 
second and even the fatal third. 


THE SWALLOWS OF SAN JUAN DE CAPISTRANO 

The mystery of why the swallows return to and depart from 
the old mission at San Juan de Capistrano, at a single flight, 
and on the same day each year, has proved unfathomable to 
ornithologists throughout the years. There is little doubt but 
that they follow a leader, which tends to render more simple 
some phases of their queer behavior, but how does their leader 
determine the day with such unerring accuracy? That is where 
the mystery lies. 

But for sheer mysterious behavior, the crow rates second 
only to the serpent. There exists little doubt but that they have 
a language all their own, and that their vocabulary must con¬ 
tain many words, entirely beyond the grasp of all the other 
creatures. A large family of these mystery birds once invited 
themselves into a neighborhood as permanent residents. Their 
incessant cawing proved too much of a nuisance of nights to 
their human neighbors, who ganged up on them with shotguns 
night and morning. They set all manner of traps for them, 
explosives, live wires, and what have you, but night after night 
they returned to keep their unappreciative human friends 
awake with their noise. When finally the latter concluded that 
they had them on their hands for keeps, the crows scattered 
out to the four winds one morning, covering a radius of fifty 
miles in all directions, and that night not a single crow returned 
to their roost, and not one so much as flew over the place. 
What do you make of it all? Like the writer, you must of 
necessity arrive at the conclusion that they left their roost that 
morning under a binding agreement to shake the dust of this 
community off their feet. 

It is necessary for the rattler to obtain his food supply as 
noiselessly as possible, inasmuch as he often does his hunting 
within hearing distance of man. On such occasions his power 
as a hypnotist stands him in good stead. If he should catch a 
rabbit, squirrel, cat, or bird while he was still in possession of 
all his faculties, then it is by no means impossible that man, 
his mortal enemy, would be attracted to the spot by reason of 
their outcry. On the contrary, if he foregoes the use of his 


79 


80 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


fangs and resorts to his magic art, then they are gently lulled 
to sleep, and when they awaken—if ever they do—they find 
themselves in cold storage. 

Just what the attraction is, or what the power they wield, 
has never been determined or explained, either by scientific 
men, w r ho deny it as a reality, or by the layman—the latter are 
frank to admit that they do not know. Some contend that the 
constant quiver of the rattles provides the necessary magic to 
throw the subject into a hypnotic sleep, or state of suspended 
animation, while others who have observed his Satanic eyes 
while at bay, just as sincerely believe this organ to be the source 
of his uncanny power. 

On one of our many thrilling hunts we had carelessly per¬ 
mitted a large rattler to evade our vigilance and get to the 
bottom of the hole, or den, so that we were having to dig deep 
for him. We had taken our turn at the spade, while the old 
gentleman was taking time out for rest. Pausing for an in¬ 
stant, we asked: “Uncle Dave, I was reading an article in a 
magazine very recently by a herpetologist, or snake expert, if 
you prefer. He wrote as one who had gone to college and 
learned all there was to know about rattlers, or perhaps had 
studied them down at the zoo behind bullet-proof glass. It 
was his contention that a rattler would, under no circumstances, 
charge a human being. Do you agree with him?” He gave 
this very apt reply: “Huh! They’ll attack ye like a Spanish 
bull if ye jes make ’em mad enough. Wunst I knowed a feller 
—knowed him personal—who come dang nigh gittin’ bit jes 
bekase he didn’t know how to handle one when he was being 
attackted. He, fool like, hit at ’im straight up an’ down, an’ 
him a’comin’ fer ’im head on. He jest about clean missed ’im— 
jes’ breshed ’im down one side. He drapped his pole jes’ in 
the nick o’ time.” With no show whatever of superior learn¬ 
ing, but with an air of finality, he concluded: “What he ort 
to o’done wuz to stoop low an’ swing at ’im jes’ like he wuz 
reapin’ oats with a cradle—ye kin mow ’em down that a-way.” 
Several cases are known to me where men have been pursued 
by them, but not all of them have b.een made a matter of 
record herein. 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


81 


One old observer who had spent more than half a century 
out in the wild lands reported an incident which, if it does not 
prove definitely their power to hypnotize, will surely leave the 
reader impressed that they possess some other mysterious 
power hitherto undefined. As he was walking leisurely through 
the wiregrass he observed a cow behaving in such manner as 
would warrant turning aside and investigating. She was stand¬ 
ing as motionless as a statue, with her nose almost in the grass, 
but was not feeding. How long she had been standing there 
was, of course, impossible for him to determine, but it was 
noted that the herd with which she usually grazed had passed 
on entirely beyond his range of vision. As he drew near to 
her she took no notice whatever of his presence. She could 
not be sleeping, he reasoned, in such a posture, so he struck 
her lightly with a limb. She jumped, apparently excited, then 
seemed to come to herself. When he got her on the march 
she again appeared normal, but he could not dismiss the inci¬ 
dent from his mind, so concluded that he would return to the 
spot and look the ground over. On the straw-littered ground 
where he had found her with nose almost upon the ground 
was found a full-grown rattler. So, concluding this old gentle¬ 
man’s story in his own words—“I’m derned if them things 
can’t charm a critter !” 

Another trustworthy observer reports an incident like this 
between a swamp snake and a cat-squirrel. He is called a 
swamp snake because Uncle Dave has not provided us with a 
better name. He feeds after the manner of the rat-snake, but 
lives in the woodland. Brown in color, with a lighter band of 
brown running his full length on both sides of the spine. He is 
the terror of birds and squirrels, and can run through the top 
of a green oak with the speed of the latter. This old gentle¬ 
man was fishing at the time, and the fish were biting well. At 
first he paid little heed to the barking of a squirrel in a dwarfed 
tree nearby, but when he pitched his voice higher up the scale 
and became so noisy and persistent, he dropped his fishing pole 
and went into the underbrush to see what it was all about. He 
found the squirrel face to face with the swamp snake, barking 
and beating the air with his bushy tail. He looked like an easy 


82 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


target to the serpent, so he made a lunge forward, catching 
the squirrel firmly in his jaws. A fight of considerable intensity 
ensued, the squirrel biting, barking, and scratching while the 
snake attempted to tie him up in his coil. Finally, the squirrel 
extricated himself and retreated to the top of the tree, fright¬ 
ened almost out of his wits. He committed the almost fatal 
mistake of looking again upon the same creature which had so 
recently menaced him. After he had looked upon his assailant 
once more, and not for long at that, he returned to the fray. 
Seeing this, the fisherman remarked in disgust: “Fool squirrel! 
If it wuz any other enemy in the swamp ye’d run fer the life 
o’ ye, but when ye looks into the eyes of a serpent, it ’pears ye 
lose all the sense ye ever had.” 

It was not the thoughts of being bitten which caused Uncle 
Dave some rather grave concern on this particular occasion. 
No, it was not that. He had long since conceived the idea that 
he was born under a lucky star, and therefore not destined 
ever to become prey for any rattler that ever jingled a bell. 
The cunning of the rattler involved in this story was simply 
uncanny, and this was what was worrying the old gentleman 
—not necessarily his presence upon the farm. In fact, it kept 
him thoroughly alert and in love with life to realize, or to 
have the feeling that his enemy was somewhere near at all 
times. The farm he was cultivating at the time was divided 
by a graded sand road, and the signs of this intruder were 
found first on one side of the road and then on the other, but 
for the life of him he could never find where he had effected 
a crossing. This state of affairs continued all summer, result¬ 
ing in great perplexity of mind as he pondered the question. 
Finally, to put his mind to rest, he took it upon himself to 
survey every foot of the road just to see if anything might be 
revealed. The only thing which offered the slightest hint of 
a solution to the mystery was a corrugated iron drain pipe. 
It was not visible from the road. Both ends were concealed 
from view by briars and shrubs. Looked like a poor clue to 
him, but he would take a look into the pipe, anyway. A care¬ 
ful examination of the sand deposit within the pipe and at 
each end revealed unmistakably that he had been using it to 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


83 


effect a crossing each time he had business over on the other 
side of the road. This being Uncle Dave’s first year on this 
particular farm gave .the rattler the edge on him—he had long 
ago discovered the pipe and saw wonderful possibilities in it. 
He would use it in making his crossings, thereby leaving no 
tell-tale sign on the road. 

As might well be imagined, the longer the old gentleman 
pursues these fellows in the wild state, the more he learns of 
their varied tricks, and the more effective are the tactics he is 
able to evolve and employ in his war of extermination in which 
he has for so long been engaged. 

When he first learned that, being mated, they call each 
other at sunset and at dawn, he utilized this information in 
locating them, to the end that he might be eternally vigilant 
and observing when in the locality from which the call came. 
Knowing this, he could then formulate his plan of action. They 
exchanged calls at the close of the day and at the dawn of 
another day merely for the purpose of checking on each other’s 
locality of position. Should one or the other not answer at 
sunset or dawn, then the surviving mate knows that the worst 
has happened, or that the missing mate had run into danger 
which necessitated keeping silent. Then this disturbed mate 
would begin a diligent search for the missing mate, continuing 
until he or she was found, either dead or alive. Knowing this 
to be true, then why not tie up one and make use of it as a 
decoy with which to trap the other? Good idea! He would 
do just this! He knew positively that where there is one there 
belongs to be a mate not far away. He knew that the danger 
and difficulty of hunting out the remaining one was too great, 
and held forth little hope of yielding any return on his labor. 
So, when he encounters one about his farm, or while chipping 
his turpentine trees, he simply removes a shoestring for a loop, 
cuts himself a little pole, and proceeds to tie him out until he 
can go for his trapping outfit. 

There were two witnesses to this incident, which proves con¬ 
clusively that the rattler possesses the power to hypnotize 
small animals to the point of complete insensibility, or pos¬ 
sibly unto death. Our informant was riding horseback, in 


84 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


company with his father, along the wild lands of the Satilla 
River in Southeast Georgia. The task engaging their atten¬ 
tion at the time was that of rounding up some cattle which had 
grazed far afield. For days they had not returned to the corral. 
Lest they fall into the hands of rustlers, they must induce them 
to return to their own grazing ground where they may be more 
carefully safeguarded. Riding along a lonely trail, they ob¬ 
served a rabbit sitting motionless by the side of the path they 
were following. At first they gave no thought to him, rabbits 
being so plentiful, but as they drew near and he took no notice 
whatever of their presence, they reined their horses in his 
direction for a closer inspection. His behavior was wholly 
foreign to the nature of such wild creatures. He was sitting 
nose to nose with a large rattler, neither of them paying any 
heed whatever to the arrival of the two horsemen. By this 
time they had dismounted but were still treated as uninvited 
guests by both the rabbit and the rattler. One of the men man¬ 
aged to lay hold upon a suitable weapon and struck the reptile 
a fatal blow. To his surprise the rabbit did not flee from the 
scene as he had expected. While the two turned their atten¬ 
tion from the rattler to the rabbit, discussing such an unusual 
incident, he keeled over dead before their very eyes—or at 
least apparently. There was no sign of fang wounds upon 
him. They were sure that he had not been fanged. Diamond- 
backs prefer to hypnotize their rabbits, for by so doing they 
do not put up any struggle or possibly make an outcry, thereby 
attracting man or some other enemy to the scene. If famished, 
the rattler will, no sooner than he finds himself within strik¬ 
ing distance of his prey, fang them, but does not endeavor to 
hold them, for the reason stated above. He bets on his keen 
sense of smell. He knows well that if they should run a dis¬ 
tance of a thousand feet that he will be able to follow their 
trail, unerringly, to the scene of their demise, then have his 
fill. Father and son mounted their horses and rode away, 
sorely puzzled concerning the ways of the serpent. 

This old gentleman lived in a region, as well as on the same 
homestead, where his father and his father’s father had lived 
since the Seminoles roamed unchallenged through the primeval 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


85 


forests and river swamps—a region, incidentally, where any¬ 
thing one can imagine might very easily happen. Reference is 
made to the lowlands bordering the Okefenokee Swamp. His 
humble log shack, split rail fence (Abe Lincoln style), and 
the scuppernong grape arbor situated conveniently near, con¬ 
stituted part of a picture which fitted perfectly into the whole 
of his domicile. Taking a look beyond his limited plantation, 
one observed a new and verdant growth of Southern cypress 
leading on and ever on to that certain point where the earth 
and sky appear to meet, the same fringing the borders of the 
great Swamp. Black bear roamed the woods at night, top¬ 
pling over beehives, devouring the farmers’ pigs, committing 
all manner of depredations—in general, seeking whatsoever he 
might devour. Pedestrians going forth by night consequently 
must keep a close lookout for bear, but in so doing could never 
be quite sure that all was secure behind them. The panther, 
one of the most ferocious members of the cat family, might 
still be encountered in this vicinity. The bobcats, with their 
topaz eyes and Chester Arthur whiskers, might be upon your 
very heels when least expected. They were eternally stalking 
men by night, not so much with the thought in mind of staging 
an attack, but rather that they might keep fit in their art. No 
matter what their reasons might be for trailing along, it does 
not give the average pedestrian a very secure feeling to look 
backward and through the pale moonlight observe a pair of 
burning eyes peering into his own from such a forbidding 
countenance. 

As the old gentleman involved in this story sat down to his 
meals each day, his dining room being on the porch, he had 
an unobstructed view of his cherished possessions hereinbefore 
described. “Tabby,” his old tom cat, usually occupied a seat 
upon the windowsill, with tail hanging straight down outside, 
facing the master of the household, waiting for some feminine 
voice to say, “Here, Tabby,” as they placed a saucer full of 
milk upon the windowsill. But on this particular day Tabby 
was conspicuous by reason of his absence. In fact, every mem¬ 
ber of the household took notice of it no sooner than the table 
had been graced. Taking a look out of the window toward the 


86 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


scuppernong arbor he was immediately observed, but on this 
occasion very sorely troubled, seemingly unmindful of the fact 
that lunch was being served. He was walking back and forth 
on the top rail of the fence—walking the same rail all the 
while—occasionally stopping and looking down upon the 
ground as though he had the impulse to jump down into the 
weeds and grass with which the fence jams were covered. He 
was meowing loudly and incessantly, conveying the thought to 
those observing him that all was not well. His bushy tail was 
pointing straight upward at the noonday sun, his back form¬ 
ing a rainbow. His evident nervousness, and the very intona¬ 
tion of his voice proved conclusively that his soul was sorely 
troubled—if in fact a tom cat is endowed with a soul. 

One of the boys, sensing his need of aid, laid hold upon the 
old scatter gun, which was always kept convenient upon a rack 
over the mantel, and rushed to his aid. Just as he suspected, a 
rattler was found coiled in the jam of the fence, eyes riveted 
upon the cat. He had been employing his magic wand upon 
poor Tabby, and it was beginning to prove effective, but at the 
crack of the gun the spell was broken, and in the vernacular of 
the street, old Tabby -treated himself to an airing—literally 
clawing up the earth through the cornfield all the way to the 
turn row. So, instead of eating his regular lunch that day he 
came dangerously near providing lunch for an uninvited guest. 

The father had gone on a long journey. The mother and 
her five-year-old daughter were attending things about the 
house. The boys had been sent to a nearby field to pick cotton. 
The mother, observing that they were playing too much and 
working too little, left the child playing upon the porch and 
went out into the field to administer to the young chaps a “dust¬ 
ing-off.” She remained in the field longer than she had in¬ 
tended, endeavoring to inculcate in the boys, both by precept 
and example, a more decent respect for a life of diligence. 
The child at the house commenced crying. She was not crying 
as though she were merely anxious for the return of her 
mother, but rather as if some great dread or fear had sud¬ 
denly possessed her—there was real distress in her cry. The 
larger of the boys was promptly dispatched to see to the safety 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


87 


of his little sister, and was admonished to be in haste. Arriving 
at the house he observed that the child was looking at some¬ 
thing upon the brick walk as she drew back against the closed 
front door, shrinking from something he had not yet observed. 
Focusing his eyes upon the same spot which seemed to be en¬ 
gaging the attention of his sister he observed a six-foot dia¬ 
mond-back with head reared six inches off the ground, looking 
intently upon the little girl. Gaining admission to the house 
by way of the back door, he seized his father’s shotgun off the 
gun rack. On his return to the scene the rattler was making 
his getaway through the open front gate, having already 
sensed the fact that the situation was growing rather menacing 
to his well-being. A well-placed load of bird shot rolled him 
up into a writhing heap. 

Where no attempt is made to keep the diamond-back menace 
under control, they eventually become highly expensive maraud¬ 
ers—not alone by reason of the number of cows, hogs, dogs, 
etc., attacked, but because of the amount of food consumed as 
well. By way of parentheses, mention will be made of the fact 
that one farmer known to the writer, and a small operator, 
too, suffered the loss of five head of cattle during a single sum¬ 
mer, one of the five a fine milch cow worth fifty or sixty dollars. 
By reason of his great losses he imagined that the corner in 
which the attacks were always staged was infested with a reg¬ 
ular colony of the dread reptiles, but when finally hunted out 
and exterminated, it proved that a single pair of them had 
been doing all the damage. 

This cotton farmer was having the fight of his life against 
crab-grass which threatened to completely possess his field of 
cotton. Labor being short, and being pressed for time, he en¬ 
listed the aid of his flock of geese. Every cotton grower knows 
how they welcome the sight of tender, juicy, crab-grass, at the 
same time spurning a diet of cotton. Furthermore, they seem 
to poison the grass with their saw teeth, thus giving the farmer 
an added advantage over the grass in time of emergency. 
Geese gather grass diligently from early dawn until the sun 
gets too warm for them, then they gather into a cool place and 
gossip until the shadows creep over the field in the cool of the 


88 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


day. It was a matter of routine business with this particular 
farmer to conduct a casual survey of his plantation at rather 
regular intervals. It was not exactly necessary that he nurse 
any particular suspicion that anything was wrong, but on the 
contrary to satisfy his mind and to acquire the desired assur¬ 
ance that all was well. Where the field cornered in a low spot 
down by the river swamp was a spring place with willow trees 
growing in profusion about it, inside the field. This inviting 
spot was their rendezvous when the heat of the day drove them 
from the field. A pool of cool, refreshing water made the 
spot all the more inviting. Much as they might like it other¬ 
wise, birds and small animals will, when they gather them¬ 
selves together in great numbers and begin to really enjoy 
themselves, attract a rattler sooner or later who takes his toll 
of their number. On Mr. Farmer’s survey of his field he came 
upon a dead goose at the spring place, and the sign about the 
dead fowl afforded the clue as to the identity of his assailant. 
Had the wings of the goose been closed instead of open, as 
though in flight, he would have swallowed him with ease. 
After having killed the fowl he was compelled to push his 
platter of goose aside and return to the river and seek rabbits 
and squirrels, of which he had evidently grown tired. 

When a diamond-back attains a length of eight or nine feet, 
which they often do, they would experience no difficulty in 
swallowing a small goat or lamb, or a twenty-pound pig. Their 
jaws do not lock, and their skin is as elastic as refined rubber. 
They are probably the world’s most renowned gluttons. A 
large man, who would indulge himself as freely at the dining 
table as one of these brutes, would easily consume a half-dozen 
spring lambs at a single sitting, even then retire from the 
dining room in a half-famished condition. 

In the magazine section of one of our leading papers a 
writer (an authority on reptiles) proved—to his own satisfac¬ 
tion—that serpents could not possibly disgorge their little ones, 
even if they did swallow them in time of danger, as laymen 
contend. His contentions (based wholly upon theory) cen¬ 
tered around the fact that on his lower throat are numbers of 
small sharp teeth, all of which point down his throat. Such, he 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


89 


reasons, would definitely preclude the possibility of his young 
making their way upward against such obstructions. Laymen 
(who, incidentally, did not learn about snakes in college) live 
among these creatures and are witness to them performing 
these seemingly impossible physical feats. Their testimony 
stands irreconcilably opposed to that of the scientist—they see 
them do these things, and to them such is sufficient. They are 
not greatly perturbed over the contentions of scientists to the 
contrary. 


VETERINARIAN ERRS IN HIS DIAGNOSIS 


Some farmers and cattle men once complained to the writer 
about a peculiar malady with which their cattle had become 
infected, describing the symptoms in detail. When their losses 
continued mounting, and the malady showed no sign of abating 
they called the nearest veterinarian, who visited their herd, 
accompanied by their county agent. As I recall, rabies was 
their diagnosis, but these farmers and cattle raisers had their 
suspicions. They could not determine the source of the infec¬ 
tion whenever another highly prized cow became ill and pres¬ 
ently died. The infected cattle would appear first in one farm¬ 
er’s herd, then in that of another. In a herd where the last 
infection was noted there might be no new deaths for months, 
but his neighbor would become the victim of this mysterious 
malady. It was an occasion for genuine alarm when such losses 
had attained the impressive total of one thousand dollars or 
more. One farmer had lost a pedigreed bull that cost him two 
hundred and fifty dollars. There appeared no help—the situ¬ 
ation was truly discouraging. 

Finally a member of this “suicide squad” took up residence 
in this community in the capacity of share-cropper. He was 
illiterate, and knew it. He, therefore, had no desire to criticize 
the professional verdict of these two graduates of college, but 
just the same he had his own ideas and opinions, but these he 
kept to himself until hibernating time. The first winter he 
hunted in this small community his efforts yielded him a half- 
dozen large rattlers. Needless to say, the infection quickly 
subsided. A diamond-back hates a cow and seldom permits 
one to pass within striking distance without administering a 
deadly injection of venom. They dislike the odor of cattle, 
and also live in constant fear of being cut with their sharp 
hoofs. 

Along the banks of the Ocmulgee River, which has its origin 
in the red hills of the State, and at a point not far distant from 
its confluence with the Oconee, lived a family of hardy pioneers 
whose forbears shared the bounty of the river swamps and 


90 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


91 


lakes with the Seminoles prior to the date of their expulsion at 
the hands of the military forces of the State. Though not so 
vast, of course, it was almost as impenetrable as the tropical 
jungles, and in order to retain title to their domain, together 
with the freest exercise of all the rights thereof, it was neces¬ 
sary to wage an almost endless battle against their enemies, 
even after the Indians were made victims of an enforced 
exodus. Where so much fish and wild game abound, it is only 
to be expected that the lower order of animal life will not yield 
to man every vestige of rights and benefits they have enjoyed 
before man projected himself into the situation. Consequently, 
during much of the time these early settlers held undisputed 
sway over “Half-Moon Lake” and its immediate environ¬ 
ment, bear, wolves, bobcats, panthers, tigers, water-rattlers, 
diamond-backs, and the like roamed the region freely, taking 
such as they chose of what the territory afforded in the way of 
both wild and domestic animals and fowl, game and fish. So, 
for one reason or another, it was an endless struggle between 
these pioneer people and their neighbors just enumerated. As 
if by way of reprisal for man’s invasion of their ancient do¬ 
main, shooting wild game and hooking fish, etc., some of these 
fellows would not infrequently make a raid upon their pig-pen, 
cow-pen, or hen-roost. The most stealthy enemy they were 
compelled to combat was the water moccasins of the various 
species. They delighted in sliding about under cover of dark¬ 
ness, particularly on rainy nights, seeking chickens, goslings, 
ducks, young turkeys, etc., and had it not been for the eternal 
vigilance of the old watchdog, these settlers would have been 
unsuspecting victims of many expensive nocturnal forays at the 
hands of such creatures. It happened at regular intervals that 
their hen-house would be raided, but due to the resulting con¬ 
fusion among the chickens the trusted old night watchman 
would give the alarm and hold the marauder at bay until the 
master could arm himself and come to his rescue. In territory 
where food was so abundant such fellows grew to unbelievable 
proportions, and such battles often developed into encounters 
of the first magnitude in the loneliness and darkness of the 
night. 


92 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


It was not, however, during darkness that all such incursions 
were staged. The diamond-back would take his turn, but 
seemed to delight in daylight holdups. 

The old gentleman now owning the property, while ap¬ 
proaching four-score years, continues in the enjoyment of sur¬ 
prisingly good health for one of his age, which might well be 
expected when consideration is given the hardy stock from 
which he descended. His battle with his ever-present adver¬ 
sary, however, raged on. On one occasion he was plowing 
corn in a field near the river swamp. Following close upon his 
heels were two of his little grandchildren. In the corner of the 
rail fence he chanced to come upon a bed of young rabbits. 
Being thus provided with something to engage their attention 
these two little boys withdrew to the center of the field, just 
in case these young rabbits developed ideas about racing back 
to the rough fence row where they were taken prisoner. The 
little fellows were crying for their freedom, but the youngsters 
heeded not their lamentations. Nonetheless, their call was 
heard by another who came to investigate, but not necessarily 
to liberate. Their game was rudely interrupted when one of 
the two discovered a large diamond-back just in the rear of the 
other. The little fellow, being apprised of the danger, did not 
take time to look back, but seized his bunny rabbits by the ears 
and leaped to safety. He had been sitting upon the ground 
with his little pets between his legs, and the rattler had 
advanced to within a foot or two of him, coiled upon the spot, 
and with his head reared high out of his coil, was looking for 
the rabbits whose cry he had distinctly heard from the rough 
land. Screaming for help, the old gentleman came quickly, but 
just in time to head him oft from the rough land toward which 
he had hastily retreated. 

Though this old hardy pioneer had lived for seventy-seven 
years along the very edge of this river swamp, he had been 
witness to only two or three incidents which we consider of real 
scientific value. Mention of this is made for the purpose of 
illustrating how very difficult it is to catch squarely up with 
reptiles putting their secret arts into practice. As a matter 
of fact, such occurrences are observed so rarely that members 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


93 


of scientific bodies find it more convenient to brand all such as 
laymen’s myths than to go out into the wild and spend the 
number of years which might be required in order to see for 
themselves. The two following observations represent the 
sum total of what this old gentleman witnessed during an 
entire lifetime spent in the wild, or adjacent to heavily infested 
lands: 

In a green pine tree near his residence it seemed that all the 
blue jays from all up and down the river swamp had gathered. 
They were screaming and flitting from limb to limb as they 
centered their gaze upon a dense cluster of boughs. Looking 
with care to discern the cause of their distress he observed a 
swamp snake, sometimes called goose snake (because of the 
hissing noise they make when disturbed) coiled about a limb. 
They were giving him a scolding as they flitted here and there. 
There was one blue jay upon which the serpent had his wicked 
eye riveted just at that instant, and this bird continued draw¬ 
ing nearer, becoming less active all the while. Finally he stood 
practically motionless, and with feathers all disheveled, within 
six inches of the serpent, looking hard at him. At this juncture 
the old hypnotist opened his mouth, reached out leisurely and 
took the bird about the neck. A loaded shotgun prevented a 
kill, and the doomed bird flew away with the others. 

Some writers undertake to explain that birds and animals, 
under the circumstances just mentioned, are attracted to the 
serpent by mere curiosity. We would like to call attention to 
the fact that when a number of birds have been attracted to a 
serpent, as mentioned above, a lone bird always appears to be 
the victim of his overpowering influence. The writer would 
like to insist that if it were mere curiosity that afflicted the 
lone bird, then why would not all the others be similarly 
afflicted, especially in view of the fact that they are all of the 
same species, and necessarily subject to the same limitations, 
and to the same attractions? We fear, Mr. Scientist, that you 
will have to explain these things on a more convincing basis. 

It was the same species of serpent, but an unfortunate squir¬ 
rel, on this occasion. The attention of the same old gentleman 
was attracted to the squirrel by reason of his racing up and 


94 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


down a large tree, barking and appearing distressed and nerv¬ 
ous. He would retreat to the top of the tree, then pause while 
he looked back upon something briefly. Immediately he would 
descend. Running out upon a low hanging limb he would stop, 
look intently upon something while he continued his barking, 
then go racing away to the top of the tree again. The old 
gentleman possessed too keen an understanding of wild crea¬ 
tures not to appreciate his predicament, and soon discovered 
the cause of all his distress. He recalled the incident having 
to do with the blue jays in the pine tree. Though he held his 
gun in hand, he elected to permit the drama to continue. Being 
intellectually thirsty, and possessed of a feeling that something 
worth observing was about to transpire—well, he would just 
wait and see. So he stood quietly by and observed. Soon the 
squirrel’s fear began to wane, and he came up within six inches 
of the nose of the serpent, standing motionless and noiseless. 
The snake simply opened wide his mouth, reached out with no 
show of haste whatever, and took the head of the squirrel into 
his mouth. As in the case of the blue jay, he was saved by a 
well-placed load of bird shot. It cannot be contended that 
there was no way of escape for the squirrel, since the limbs of 
this large tree interlocked with other trees, and he could have 
left the scene had he so willed. Perhaps it would be more ac¬ 
curately stated if we should say that he might easily have es¬ 
caped from the danger had he not already lost his power of 
resolve or will to run. All who have ever witnessed such an 
occurrence testify that the serpent shows no sign of concern 
whatever when his intended prey retreats from him—he knows 
all too well that he will return. Why? 

All laymen who have observed such occurrences out in the 
wild show genuine amazement when told that the scientific 
world does not admit the truth of it all. Many do not know 
that the enlightened world would seek to deny such an obvious 
fact. Some deplore the fact that otherwise good men are taken 
off to college and educated into a denial of the simplest things 
of life. 

This same old gentleman once had an experience which 
serves well to illustrate the rattler’s power of concentration. 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


95 


As a matter of fact, he has observed his nature in this particu¬ 
lar on many occasions. On the occasion to which reference has 
been made, one had bitten his hunting dog in the swamp, and 
he, being unwilling to risk an encounter with him alone and 
unaided, first carefully marked the spot, and then went forth 
and enlisted the aid of several of his neighbors. The search 
was rendered doubly difficult due to the fact that the foxy old 
rascal had completely buried himself underneath an accumula¬ 
tion of dead leaves and litter, on the very spot where the kill 
was made. It is a fact known to a limited few that when a 
rattler has bitten anything he invariably coils upon the spot 
marking the tragedy. By squirming from one side to the other, 
pushing the soft earth and litter right and left, he succeeds in 
concealing himself entirely from view, usually permitting his 
head and rattles to protrude from among the litter. To those 
not skilled in the art of tracking them down, he would present 
no target at all, and would be passed by times without number 
undetected. On this occasion, however, he had a number of 
men on his trail, all of whom were fearless as well as informed 
concerning his craftiness. All members of the party knew what 
they were looking for, and how to look. They knew precisely 
the strategy he would likely employ in order to deliver himself 
from the dire consequences threatening him. Armed with sticks 
and rakes, they walked boldly into this den of death. Being 
located, hidden away in the identical manner they had expected, 
he was drawn forth from his place of hiding with the aid of a 
potato hook. He fixed his savage eyes upon the member of 
the party who uncovered him, and as other members of the 
party drew near he took no notice whatever of their presence. 
For the purpose of carrying the experiment to its ultimate con¬ 
clusion, a ring was formed about him, and though other mem¬ 
bers of the party adopted a menacing attitude toward him, he 
could not be induced to take his eyes off the member of the 
party to w T hom they first attracted. Any hypnotist will admit 
that deep concentration on the part of the artist and relaxation 
of the subject are conditions absolutely essential to a successful 
application of the art. Anyone who has ever observed the ser¬ 
pent taking a small animal would make a competent witness to 


96 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


the fact that the above-mentioned conditions conducive to hyp¬ 
notic sleep certainly prevail. Is this fellow, therefore, not the 
original hypnotist? 

Other findings of Uncle Dave have been confirmed by the 
revelations of this old gentleman of whose observations we 
write. Once during his seventy-eight years he found the nest 
of a rattler—turning the eggs out of the ground with his 
plowshares. Realizing that the one supervising the incubator 
must be close at hand, he instituted a search. She was found, 
but much to his surprise did not adopt a particularly menacing 
attitude, as might have been expected. She rather waited to 
see if he would not pass her eggs by unnoticed. Many of the 
eggs were taken home with him and deposited in a sand box. 
Covering same with a glass window pane he exposed them to 
the sun just to see if he would have any luck with his baby 
rattler incubator. Forgetting his experiment for a time, he 
returned to find his box almost full of the babies. This is at 
variance with the contentions of scientific men who insist that 
they are born, mammal style, and not hatched from eggs. We 
allow herpetologists 50 per cent on this question. The whole 
truth, as best we are able to acquire a full knowledge of it by 
long association with lay observers is, they may come into the 
world by either method. If taken captive prior to laying their 
eggs they would, in all probability, give birth to their young 
as claimed. If undisturbed in their native haunts, and the 
weather was not too cold and the ground too wet, when that 
urge of nature was felt, they would surely lay their eggs in 
the ground as so many truthful laymen will testify. 

April was upon him, and Uncle Dave was mightily moved 
by the magic of springtime. When we speak of springtime the 
reader will, of course, understand that we do not allude to 
that springtime in the far-away Rockies; neither in the apple 
orchards of French Normandy, but rather springtime in that 
enchanted wiregrass region of extreme South Georgia. Little 
wonder that the Indian, lover of nature that he was, responded 
also to that mysterious spell it weaves about one. Love of this 
region lured the Seminoles to elude the vigilance of the white 
man as they were being driven from a land they loved, and 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


97 


by night trudge for many weary miles for one last look at the 
Queen of the Morning Skies emerging from among the eastern 
hills to beam upon a land from which he was being cruelly 
driven, and to which he would never return. 

All of last year’s outdoor beauty is driven to earth by win¬ 
ter’s icy blasts, leaves of the trees, delicate and fragrant flow¬ 
ers, together with the dead wiregrass in which they are inter¬ 
locked contribute to the making of a pall with which the whole 
of the landscape is shrouded. Many of the songbirds depart 
for warmer climes to spend the winter. Man is virtually im¬ 
prisoned until the chirping of the blue warbler, the return of 
the purple martin, the nighthawk, whippoorwill, and the pass¬ 
ing sand-hill crane with his inimitable note serve to remind him 
that it is time to arise and shake off winter’s cruel shackles. It 
is on such occasions that it is said that the fancy of youth turns 
lightly to thoughts of love. 

One endowed with poetic soul has given expression to his 
inner feeling in words like these: 

Springtime—and the bluebird’s song 
And the gold of the daffodils, 

And the beckoning trail that leads away 
To end among the tranquil hills. 

These—and a low, clear call 
At my restless heart all day 
With pilgrim staff to be out and gone 
O’er the Wander-Way! 

Now the immortal Ham Bone is no poet, but as a philoso¬ 
pher he ranks one of the very first in order. He may lack the 
command of beautiful English employed by the poet above 
quoted, but he is moved upon by that same mysterious influ¬ 
ence which quickens a dead world into action when he simply 
says— 

Dese April showahs suits me fine, 

Gits me out m’ hook an’ line, 

Fo’gits ’bout de Johnson grass 
Chokin’ down mah gyahden sass. 


98 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


With the coming of April in South Georgia all that lan¬ 
guished is suddenly and mysteriously quickened into increased 
activity, while all that withered before winter’s icy breath is 
presently resurrected into a new and more glorious existence. 
Delicately and sweetly scented violets of white and lavender 
commence emerging from the mold of the dead wiregrass. 
The damp night air is scented with the fragrance of wisteria, 
honeysuckle, woodbine, and running roses. 

Now, Uncle Dave is not given to bubbling over, no matter 
how greatly he may rejoice, neither employing highly polished 
English. All these influences so happily combined themselves 
that his resolve was firm and final—he was going fishing. 

In his imagination he could see the red-fin pike leaping clear 
of the water, lunging at every passing dragon-fly. To be sure, 
they are tasty, and too, make a picture fit to adorn the walls of 
nobility’s hunting lodges. The spirited fight they stage when 
hooked constitute a challenge to the sporting blood of any 
lover of the great outdoors. The Suwanoochee Creek was his 
favorite fishing ground, and it was a sight to awaken the in¬ 
terest of the most indifferent to stand upon the banks of this 
little stream and watch them splashing and rippling the still, 
inky waters of its lagoons on spring afternoons. 

His fishing tackle having been quickly assembled, he was on 
his way. As he approached the stream he turned from the 
main road to avail himself of a short cut by following an old 
Indian trail. For some distance he walked beneath the low- 
hanging, spreading branches of the liveoak trees, beautifully 
adorned with vari-shaped tufts of Spanish moss. Lifting his 
eyes for the purpose of checking on a swiftly sinking sun, he 
beheld a beautiful spectacle—Spanish moss as far as his eyes 
could see, filtering the radiant beams of the sun, every single 
strand of moss glistening in the sunlight as though dipped in 
transparent wax. 

He had trolled all afternon and the net result of his efforts 
and patience was “nary-a-bite.” Before setting out on such an 
important mission he had not forgotten to check the signs of 
the Zodiac and the phase of the moon. * According to his philos¬ 
ophy everything was right. He reasoned that inasmuch as they 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


99 


had not been feeding during the day surely they would take a 
nibble at an attractive bait before the shadows were absorbed 
in the gathering dusk. In this he reasoned well. Just before 
the setting of the sun, they appeared to awaken from their 
slumber and commenced biting as though half famished. As 
he unhooked them and readjusted his bait he would throw 
them in a slight depression in the swamp mud a safe distance 
from the edge of the stream. Knowing that his time was lim¬ 
ited he took no heed of other things—simply attended to his 
fishing. When he had caught a dozen or so he took a hurried 
glance backward over his shoulder to satisfy his mind that his 
fish were secure, but to his very great surprise not one could 
be found. No tracks of any kind were in evidence—they seem¬ 
ingly had just taken wings and flown away. This baffled him. 
Realizing that his day of fishing had been ruined, he was now 
determined to seek comfort by solving the mystery. So, land¬ 
ing his bait near the farther shore, he succeeded in hooking 
another pike, and as he threw him toward the same spot, he 
kept one eye on him; while pretending to be re-baiting his hook. 
Soon a water rattler as long as himself began emerging silently 
from an opening at the base of a great tussock. Seizing the 
slender fish by the head he took him in at a single gulp and 
instantly withdrew to his place of hiding. Now that he had 
discovered and identified the villain, the day of judgment was 
come. Laying his pole down upon the banks of the stream, he 
cut himself a long green stick, then resumed his fishing. With 
some difficulty, and with evident impatience, he managed to 
hook one more. Indifferently he threw the fish upon the same 
spot and waited for the old thief to emerge from his place of 
hiding in the tussock. He could not long resist the appetizing 
dish before him—a beautifully colored, sleek pike fish flouncing 
about at his very door, consequently he emerged as before, but 
this time only to have his neck broken. Twining his silk line 
about his Japanese reed he set out for home, thankful that this 
loathsome brute had, at best, left him his appetite. Now the 
sad plight in which Uncle Dave found himself that evening 
will surely elicit the sympathy of any fisherman as we see him 
being seated before a dish of collard greens when his appetite 


100 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


called for red-fin pike, corn-dodgers and freshly brewed coffee. 

A formidable fighter indeed is the rattler, but due to this 
very fact his lot is rendered an unenviable one. His enemies 
are legion, and by no means limited to man, but hatred of him 
is even shared by other members of the reptile family, beasts 
of the jungle, and birds of the air, all of whom would delight 
in exterminating him from the face of the earth. The very fact 
that he has been able to defy extinction surrounded by such an 
atmosphere of hate speaks well for his cunning and power of 
resistance. H is enemies declare an open season on him through¬ 
out the year, yet he manages to survive. Other members of 
the serpent family—those killing by constriction—battle him 
to death at sight. It is said that the wharf rat will take him on 
for battle when challenged, and almost invariably emerge vic¬ 
torious from such encounters. Under certain circumstances the 
timid little mouse will fight valiantly, and even achieve victory, 
in the face of what would ordinarily be considered a hopeless 
and uneven match. Animal keepers have long since learned 
that when mice have been fed to rattlers during the day, the 
cage should be searched before nightfall, and all mice remain¬ 
ing in the cage removed. These little fellows sit in the corner 
during the daylight hours and tremble with fear at the sight 
of the rattler, but when darkness descends upon the scene he 
emerges from his place of hiding a changed creature. With 
his sharp teeth he severs the reptile’s head from his body. The 
little mouse appears to have found a weakness in his armor, 
and while darkness works for him, acquits himself with credit 
in the fray. 

Where both range in the same territory, deer never pass a 
rattler by, but when one is sighted they form a ring about him. 
Their form of attack is unique. Leaping high in the air they 
draw their fore and hind feet together as they land, literally 
cutting him to pieces with their sharp hoofs. The skill of the 
deer is surprising. He can accomplish such feat without danger 
to himself. When he lands he bounds again to safety as if 
made of rubber. It has the appearance that the rattler is not 
much inclined to strike upwards, but prefers to rear his head 
out of the coil and strike downward, and the deer takes advan- 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


101 


tage of this fact. 

The chaparral cock (or commonly termed road-runner) of 
the West has also proved himself an uncompromising enemy 
to the black rattler infesting most of the Western United 
States. His slender body, long legs, neck and beak equip him 
admirably for the manner of fight he forces upon his adversary. 
When the enemy is spotted he advances boldly toward the coil 
and makes a thrust at him with his long wing, exercising care 
to see that only his wing feathers are exposed to the fangs of 
his adversary. When the rattler strikes, throwing himself out 
of his coil, he is somewhat helpless for a split second. During 
this brief interval of time the road-runner advances quickly, 
pecks him upon the head with his long beak, then retires for 
the purpose of provoking another thrust. He continues such 
tactics until the rattler has been destroyed. 

As for man, eternal warfare between the two is taken for 
granted. Every time he goes forth in the cool of the day, fol¬ 
lowed by his faithful dog to round up his cattle, goes hunting 
or fishing in the river swamp, he can never carry the assurance 
with him that his dog will return safely from the chase. 
Usually, when least expected, that dreadful whir-r-r-r assaults 
his ears, his dog yelps because of the pain inflicted, then comes 
running to lie down at his master’s feet, trembling, and to die. 
This starts the whole war all over again. Seizing some con¬ 
venient weapon, he beats the villain into a pulp. There, side 
by side, lie the rattler and the dog, with the remainder of the 
world little the better for it all. But then this is the way of 
outdoor life in heavily infested territory. 

In our long study of this fellow, and in our conversations 
with men who have spent long years endeavoring to exter¬ 
minate him, we not infrequently learn of incidents which con¬ 
vince us that these criminals of the animal underworld actually 
prefer to abandon their age-old war with man and establish a 
more amicable relationship. We even fancy that they are often 
possessed with a genuine desire to join man in invoking that 
day promised by Isaiah, the prophet, when he wrote— 

“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard 
shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion 


102 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


and the fading together; and a little child shall lead them.” 

“And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall 
lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.” 

“And the suckling child shall play on the hole of the asp, 
and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’s 
den.” 

Yes, we have learned of many instances where tiny children 
were left unguarded by their parents for a time, to return later 
and find them playing with one of these deadly creatures, and 
apparently thoroughly enjoying the experience. It seems that 
when children are left alone within their range of vision or 
hearing they come near and institute an investigation. They 
appear to be able to tell whether or not the child is afraid of 
them, and whether or not the child would in any way menace 
them. More will be said hereinafter as to how they acquire 
such knowledge, but it is evident that they are sure of their 
ground. Sometimes when they find small children alone, they 
boldly crawl up and coil beside them for innocent pastime. 
Can you imagine the scene, however, should some unsuspecting 
mother return for her child and find her little one playing with 
such a dreadful creature? It has happened on some such occa¬ 
sions that the child was patting the serpent’s back and head 
with its bare hands as the latter shrank from such caressing, 
but visibly enjoying the association and manifesting not the 
slightest intention of harming the child. Indeed, there is plenty 
of evidence to support the statement that these creaures re¬ 
spond to kind treatment, and in a way encourage it when they 
feel that they are not endangering themselves in so doing. 
There is nothing in the child’s conduct to enrage them, and 
they are sufficiently keen of mind or instinct to realize that 
such kindness is not likely to be found in man. 

It must be quite evident to the reader that no one individual 
could possibly hope to witness all the unusual incidents related 
herein, even though he were blessed with the length of years 
of Methuselah, and had spent all of his time in wild infested 
territory. 

We personally knew an old gentleman who was the proud 
possessor of a large male specimen which he kept for exhibi- 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


103 


tion purposes. Strange as it might seem, he eventually began 
to show some degree of affection for his master, or should we 
say, understanding and appreciation of him. And why not? 
He fed him the choicest of food—even sweet milk, of which 
he was so fond. Then, too, he took him from city to city where 
he had the opportunity of meeting the best of people. He was 
prepared for exhibition in a neatly carpentered, screened bun¬ 
galow.* 

One afternon while the two were enjoying a much-needed 
rest from their travels, he had an experience he never forgot. 
They were together in the back yard of his modest little cot¬ 
tage. It was time for milk, and the old gentleman’s traveling 
partner knew it. As a matter of fact, he both smelled and saw 
it while his master was pouring it into a bowl in which he 
usually served him. Just at this time all things seemed to com¬ 
bine to irritate the nerves of this old rascal. It had been a dis¬ 
tressingly hot afternoon, and a dark cloud was forming in the 
west. The lightning was flashing and the thunder roaring as 
the landscape began darkening and a cool breeze arose. All 
these influences evidently had woven such a spell about this 
old wizard that he completely forgot himself and laid bare one 
of his most carefully guarded secrets. Giving utterance to a 
weird and unearthly wail or two he completely unnerved his 
partially deaf master who immediately abandoned the task 
engaging his attention at the time and commenced searching 
for whatever it might prove to be that had uttered such an 
unusual cry. Finding no animal or bird upon whom he might 
hang the crime, it was evident that his prisoner was the culprit 
who had frightened him so. 

In all our conversations with lay observers who had gained 
quite a bit of familiarity with rattlers in the wild we never 
encountered but one old gentleman who ever witnessed a 
female carrying her babes upon her back. It was merely his 
own idea, but he reasoned thus about it: she had a schedule to 
keep and they were too large to admit to her inner chamber and 
too small to keep the pace she would have to set, hence she 
induced them to climb upon her back, and with all passengers 
aboard she was on her way when he chanced to come upon her. 


*S'ee sketch, page 124. 



104 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


She had simply transformed herself into a motorless bus for 
the transportation of her offspring. To him it was by no means 
inconceivable that she also ferries them across rivers, lakes and 
lagoons in like manner. Indeed, the rattler seems to have a 
very fertile storehouse of expedients when it comes to carrying 
out her objectives. 

All who have pursued these creatures for any very great 
length of time agree that, with the rattler, it is always some¬ 
thing new—that one never seems to learn about all their secret 
arts and devices. 

Another strange incident we are about to relate occurred 
during the year 1918. The German army had exerted itself 
to the utmost in a vain endeavor to overrun Paris, the Channel 
ports, and so menace the seat of the British Government as to 
enable her to dictate her own terms of peace. There was 
visible signs of the rapid disintegration of their war machine. 

A small party of men well known to us were gathering 
fodder in a cornfield down by the river swamp. In their con¬ 
versation they had rather well covered all the latest develop¬ 
ments, when one member of the party suggested: “Perhaps 
we’d better give some thought to dangers nearer home. I 
never made a crop yet but that I would find one or more rat¬ 
tlers in this field.” The very next stalk of corn stripped of its 
blades he dusted off the back of a large one with the tail ends 
of the fodder he held in his hands. 

One member of the party plead with his companions that 
they permit him to torment the serpent for a time—he merely 
wished to induce him to sing his rattles as violently as possible. 
It seemed that he had never seen one in an exceedingly angry 
mood. The other members of the party assenting, he went 
into the woodland where he cut down a long, slender pine 
with which to accomplish his design. While inflicting no pain¬ 
ful injury upon the serpent he sought to build up his temper to 
the point of exasperation. For a time he sang his rattles furi¬ 
ously, then attempted to run away from his tormentor, but on 
every such attempt he was headed off and thrown back into 
the field with the long pole. Finally the diamond-back desisted 
entirely from singing his rattles. He appeared utterly oblivious 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


105 


to the other members of the party. As they moved about in 
disorder, changing positions from time to time, others would 
cross his line of vision, but without loss of time he would shift 
to another position that he might have an unobstructed view 
of the one who had so enraged him—keeping his piercing 
glare leveled upon him at all times. Under such circumstances 
the member of this party in question displayed visible evidence 
that he was, in some manner or other, weakening, and to em¬ 
ploy his own words spoken to his companions, he plead, “Kill 
that thing—I’m feeling funny.” He insisted thereafter that 
he was in the act of succumbing to a peculiar weakness. 

This one observation stands apart from all others coming 
to our attention during all the years we have devoted to a 
study of the wild habits and mysterious powers of the diamond- 
back. It might be added by way of parentheses that it has been 
our privilege to personally question 95 per cent of those to 
whom w*e are indebted for the subject-matter contained in this 
volume. 

This occurred during harvest time. Our informant was 
engaged gathering corn when he chanced to come upon one 
directly in the path of the mule drawing his partially loaded 
wagon. Stopping his mule he called to a darkey on the farther 
side of the large field to hasten over and help kill the reptile. 
He had an unobstructed view of the reptile, since he was in a 
clean spot amidst the peavines and crab-grass. Fearing that 
the rattler would slide away into the dense growth which was 
close at hand, he kept a keen eye upon him while the darkey 
hastened to the scene. Several minutes were required to span 
the intervening distance. When the darkey arrived our in¬ 
formant had a rather unusual experience to relate. During the 
last minute or two he kept watch over him, the rattler changed 
color in rapid succession until he had completely exhausted the 
colors of the rainbow. 

In vain we endeavored to plant the thought in the mind of 
this highly respected gentleman that the serpent was not, in 
reality, changing colors, but that he WAS beginning to bring 
about a confusion of his eyes, but he would not have it that 
way, insisting and repeating from time to time that his eye¬ 
sight was good. 


106 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


He showed signs of genuine amazement when we inquired 
of him: “Do you believe you would have observed his move¬ 
ment had he begun crawling away under such circumstances?” 
“Most assuredly,” came his instant and emphatic reply. We 
refrained from pressing the query farther, but just the same 
we kept in mind King Solomon’s perplexity as he pondered the 
ways of the serpent. 

At the same time we were in possession of information from 
another gentleman just as well known to us, and* for whose tes¬ 
timony we are just as willing to vouch, and the two observa¬ 
tions stand opposed to each other. It is important to mention 
that in the first instance the reptile DID NOT move from the 
scene, so that the observer could not have stated with certainty 
whether or not he would have observed such movement. 

The second party to whom we refer was fishing. While 
alone, and some distance downstream from two companions, 
he came upon a large water-rattler. It appears that he had 
heard they possessed such powers, and was the type who would 
like to know for himself, so stood for quite a time looking 
upon him as hard and long as was possible without physical 
discomfort, before blinking his eyes. His companions were 
steadily approaching the spot, and as they did he called to 
them, acquainting them with the nature of his find. Coming 
up from the rear, they both remarked simultaneously, “Let’s 
kill him—he’s crawling for the water.” He maintains to this 
day that he did not observe the slightest move on the part of 
the serpent. 

It has been stated elsewhere that the serpent possesses a 
marvelous memory—never forgetting any human being with 
whom he has ever had a spirited engagement, and there is 
plenty of evidence in our possession to sustain such contention. 
While the vicious species will remember every single battle he 
ever had with man, as well as his fighting partner on such 
occasions, the non-poisonous kind will remember known friends 
and respond to their kindness as long as they live. The friend 
of whose experiences we write cultivated a very intimate ac¬ 
quaintance with a great king snake. .He worked pine timber 
about this fellow’s feeding range. The first time they met he 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


107 


stood and gazed upon the king, snake for some time. His born 
antipathy for all snakes, dating back to Eden days, all but got 
the better of him, &nd while in the act of killing him, he did 
some reflecting which was the cause of him abandoning his 
murderous intentions. Up to the present time he had no proof 
of it, but he had it on rather good authority that they pursued 
and killed every rattler whose trail they chanced to cross. So 
he would give him the benefit of the doubt and permit him to 
live. The snake knew well that he had been observed. On 
future occasions they met with such frequency that the man 
commenced to believe that his friend intercepted him on pur¬ 
pose. Their frequent meetings soon resulted in a very fine 
friendship growing out of their association. Finding a bed 
full of young tender rats, he procured a suitable receptacle and 
carried them along with him until he chanced to again fall in 
with his friend. They were fed to him one by one until he had 
consumed the entire rat family. From that day on the king 
snake would come to his friend each day as he sat down for 
his noonday meal, accepting with gratitude such crumbs as 
might fall from his friend’s table, then crawl upon his lap as 
playfully as a kitten. 

Finally this gentleman entered into business which required 
that he take up residence in another locality. Returning to his 
old home with some friends after a lapse of several years, he 
very naturally thought of his woodland friend and wondered 
if some evil had befallen him by this time. Speaking to his 
friends concerning the friendship which had grown up between 
himself and the king snake, they were rather skeptical of the 
entire story, feeling that they were about to become victimized 
by a practical joker. Returning to the spot where he would so 
frequently rendezvous with his friend, he whistled loud and 
long—this being the call to which he always responded. They 
tarried upon the spot for some time, and presently he came 
crawling up out of the underbrush. 

It is the contention of some who profess to know about rep¬ 
tiles that they hear with their forked tongues. Laymen know 
that they do not go about with their tongues protruding, but, 
on the contrary, this particular organ is brought into play only 


108 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


when in a disurbed state of mind, or possibly when they are 
in the act of hypnotizing some small animal or bird. This 
being taken for granted the reader will very naturally inquire, 
“How, then, did he hear the gentleman whistling for him?” 

We have had occasion many times to observe rattlers about 
their winter quarters and have taken very careful note of how 
they behave. They keep their tongues in their mouths just as 
long as any hope remains that their presence has not been 
detected. We have found them lying perfectly open upon 
littered ground, and carefully concealed beneath tufts of wire- 
grass, with their heads and necks protruding, nerves tense, 
observing every single move of the intruder, but with head 
and neck absolutely motionless. It was, on every such occasion, 
perfectly evident that he had enlisted the aid of every single 
one of his senses which might be successfully invoked to the 
end that he might, if possible, avoid detection. If those to 
whose expressed opinions we refer were correct in their deduc¬ 
tions, then surely these rattlers, under the circumstances men¬ 
tioned, would have had their tongues protruding that they 
might not be denied the benefit of their hearing at a time when 
their very lives were hanging in the balance. Their tongues 
would never dart out at you until they were positive that they 
had lost in this game of hide-and-seek. 

There is no question but that their nerves are extremely sen¬ 
sitive. The claim has been made by responsible individuals 
that they can be driven from pastured land by placing a bell 
on one or members of a herd of cattle. Others have noted that 
the roar of airplane motors flying at low altitude over infested 
swamp areas influence them to commence crawling about aim¬ 
lessly, and that blasting in the vicinity of their hunting grounds 
causes them to transfer their activities to a more remote region. 
I have observed myself that they quickly abandon areas where 
logging activities are in operation by lumbermen. 

If, as the scientific world contends, they are not equipped 
with organs of hearing, it can be truthfully said that they pos¬ 
sess a substitute equally as good, or perhaps much better. They 
seem to experience no difficulty whatever in hearing, each 
other’s call for a distance of two miles or more, and the call 
uttered is neither loud nor harsh upon the human ear. 


ORIGIN AND USE OF HYPNOTISM 


The origin of hypnotism, that is to say, the substance of 
hypnotism, like the discovery of fire, is lost in the maze of 
tradition and speculation. It is certain that hypnotic phenom¬ 
ena were known thousands of years ago to the wise men, or 
magicians of Persia and India. There is no doubt that it ex¬ 
isted as far back as our earliest written records go. Tradition 
traces it far beyond that time, but even tradition undertakes 
to establish no definite time or place as its origin. Neither 
does it undertake to say how it originated, whether with man 
or beast. 

There is no doubt but that Egypt, one of the early homes 
of the human race, was well versed in the hypnotic art. It is 
to be found recorded in Egyptian pictures, and by figures drawn 
upon mummy cases, amulets and charms, all of which testify 
loudly of its existence at that time. How proficient they were 
in the art, and to what purpose it was put, we have no definite 
information. We have only to surmise that it was used in their 
medical science, judging from such records as are available to 
us. Doubtless it also exercised a profound religious influence 
in their lives. 

It would appear from history that hypnotism was practiced 
by the saints of the Catholic Church, and the use they made of 
it gave to us the group known as mystics. The practices carried 
on in the monasteries of the Latin Church by the saintly men 
of Christendom claimed to have reached the highest spiritual 
state attainable by men in the flesh, and yet these processes 
were practiced in the far Orient many centuries before the 
Christian era, and they are doubtlessly closely allied with many 
of the phenomena of the hypnotic art. 

Mesmerism, another of the secret arts, and so called from 
Mesmer, by one of its later disciples, was familiar to the an¬ 
cients, and appears to be closely allied with the entire history 
of mystical religious experiences. We are not able to say 
whether there must be conscious co-operation between the per¬ 
former and the subject. The connection between mysticism and 


109 


110 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


mesmerism is not very clear, but experiments in dual conscious¬ 
ness, in the possibilities of suggestion, the transference of 
thought, and in the production of profound sleep, appears to 
be only the outer fringe of an ancient secret knowledge by 
which the sanctuary of the innermost man may be unlocked. 

Mesmer finally settled in Paris where he established a 
school, all of his pupils becoming celebrated. One of these 
pupils hypnotized his gardener and found that his patient was 
capable of carrying on a conversation while in this induced 
sleep. He discovered also that the patient not only understood 
the words, but the unexpressed thoughts of his master as well, 
and would answer with equal clearness and with as much ease 
whether the question be a mere suggestion of the mind, or 
whether it be clearly expressed to him by the master. 

We see that the origin of hypnotism, and its allied arts, if 
we wish to think of them as being in any way different, is 
beyond the power of man to find out. It may seem like begging 
the question, but we would like to invite attention to the fact 
.that all through Holy Writ, the practice of such art is frowned 
upon. If we may be permitted to suggest a reason for such 
disapproval, we would say that the practice of such arts would 
always appeal to the superstitious and the illiterate, and thus 
operate as a hindrance to moral, spiritual and intellectual de¬ 
velopment. We believe that the Creative Power undertakes 
to vouchsafe to man the best possible means of attaining his 
highest destiny. A highly developed system of hypnotism in 
the hands of an unscrupulous operator might prove the means 
of no end of corruption and oppression. We find, as it is, char¬ 
latans practicing it to the detriment of those who are weak. 

Let us repeat: we know not from whence man got his hyp¬ 
notism and magic, nor how long he has been using it in one 
form or another. However, we must believe that our First 
Parents lived for centuries in the open with all forms of animal 
life, and that during all these years they must have learned 
much from the lower animals about them. We will return to 
this line of thought later on. 

Let us insist again that serpents certainly exercise some sort 
of control over their intended victims, similar in many ways, 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


111 


if not identical, with hypnotism as practiced by man. We do 
not undertake to say that it IS the identical power man em¬ 
ploys, for in such event it would affect man just as it does the 
lower forms of animal life upon which it is used. We would 
not put it beyond the rattler to so affect man under the proper 
circumstances. 

We have long been puzzled to know whether or not animals 
below man really possess minds, thinking and reasoning as 
men do, which might subject them to the same hypnotic influ¬ 
ence as man. We do not hesitate to attribute such power to 
them. We understand that men of science call this instinct; 
further, we understand that any inherited tendency to perform 
a specific action in a specific way when the appropriate situa¬ 
tion occurs, is designated by them as instinct. Now, if instinct 
is something inherited, then the first animals of any species had 
all the instincts that those of later generations possess. Fur¬ 
thermore,-if the conduct of animals is governed by instinct 
alone, and no sort of mental activity enters into their behavior, 
then it would seem that all animals of any one species would 
possess instinct exactly alike, and that their reactions would be 
the same under similar circumstances, though environment 
might vary ever so much. In other words, they would all be 
cast in the same mold, and there would be no such thing as 
personality among animals. Permit us to express the belief 
that instinct, as such, will simply not lend itself to develop¬ 
ment, but that each separate instinct was given to take care of 
a paricular situation, and ends there. 

Man is, above all, an imitative creature. He does not hesi¬ 
tate to imitate the lower animals whenever it serves his pur¬ 
pose. We do not believe that a Divine Creator would implant 
in man the element of magic and then condemn him, as is done 
in Holy Writ, for employing it. Our contention is that t;his 
magic of man is an acquired art, wholly foreign to his original 
make-up. If this be true, where did he get it? If the serpent 
had it, why not from him? We gather from the story of our 
First Parents that they were on friendly terms with the ser¬ 
pent. This statement is made reverently and without casting 
any insinuations at the Revealed Word and our ancient for¬ 
bears. 


112 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


The writer has reached the conclusion which has been freely 
expressed elsewhere that ancient man learned the elementary 
principles of hypnotism from the lower order of animals, im¬ 
proved upon same with the passing of centuries, and handed 
this mysterious art and science down to us of the 20th century 
in its present form. 

If the testimony of those to whom the writer is indebted for 
the subject-matter of this volume could be successfully brushed 
aside it might leave us open to charges of pure fabrication. If 
it were not for the fact that man, in other instances, patterned 
some of his arts and practices after the beasts of the field, then 
such deductions as we have drawn might more readily be dis¬ 
carded. It is sufficient to enlist the interest of any fair-minded 
person if they will but pause and consider the habits of the 
black bear of the Okefenokee Swamp—perhaps other species, 
as for that. They have imitated with percision the methods of 
certain primitive peoples, such as negroes of Dark Africa, and 
the American Indians, in procuring their supply of fish from 
ponds, small lakes and lagoons. Or was it the other way 
around? Let us examine the facts. It is scarcely probable that 
the bear in his wild state would spy upon the fishing methods 
of man, his mortal enemy. Yet we find them practicing the 
same art when fishing without any form of tackle. When the 
bear discovers a small lake or lagoon, separated from the 
main stream, and has definite knowledge that the same is 
stocked with fish, he goes “muddying.” This practice might 
be defined as churning the water, stirring up all the mud pos¬ 
sible from the bottom, until the whole body of water is little 
less than a thick paste, which renders the breathing process of 
the fish a fruitless and painful one. Being unable to breathe 
the water, they come to the surface, procuring the needed 
elements from the atmosphere by breathing the pure air. This, 
of course, exposes them to the view of the bear. On such 
occasions he either seizes them in his paws or, with a mighty 
stroke, splashes them out on the bank of the lake. It is passing 
strange that both the African negro and the American Indian 
practiced the same identical method in obtaining his fish. So 
the only question remaining to be answered is—who copied 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


113 


who ? If this were the only instance where man has been known 
to profitably apply lessons learned through observing the habits 
and practices of the lower order of animal life, then our deduc¬ 
tions might fall for want of evidence to sustain them. Such 
methods of fishing, termed “muddying,” is in vogue through¬ 
out the Deep South, particularly among negroes, who are pre¬ 
sumed to have brought a knowledge of the art with them when 
transplanted in America. 

Within the circle of our close friends was a gentleman who 
had fully resolved to unmask the diamond-back—that is, learn 
if such a thing be possible, something of the nature of the mys¬ 
terious power he wields over his prey. He had not received 
any scientific training, consequently he was of open mind on the 
subject. He had observed the common house cat, making care¬ 
ful observations of him as he stalked his prey, ordinarily some 
gentle bird about the lawn. With burning eyes which never 
blinked he would crouch low, tail swishing from side to side, 
and ofttimes with his lower jaw quivering, would approach 
to within five or six feet of the bird. The bird would fly away, 
but if there was no interference would soon return, seemingly 
fascinated. Growing bolder and bolder, he would eventually 
be taken by the sharp claws of the cat, should no one intervene 
to save the bird. Now, the gentleman of whom we write was 
the reasoning type—possessed a mind capable of following a 
line of thought through to a logical conclusion. He believed 
that the secret of the rattler’s mysterious power was to be 
found in his vibrating rattles. This, to him, corresponded with 
the swishing of the cat’s tail, and affected the victim in like 
manner. He would even venture a step farther. He did not 
believe that the serpent nor the cat possessed any superior en¬ 
dowment over man, and that if their methods were applied 
with care man could achieve the same results. Anyway, he 
meant to try. Soon an opportunity came his way. Sitting 
quietly on a low stump by the side of a log on a lonely hillside 
one day, he observed a squirrel coming along up the hill toward 
his pecan orchard. Reasoning that this was his opportunity, 
he sat motionless. The log lying in line with the course the 
squirrel was following, he hopped upon the end of it, some 


114 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


sixty or seventy feet distant. At this instant he whistled with 
a shrill note, then raised his forefinger to a position about level 
with his shoulder and commenced a pendulum-like motion. The 
squirrel stopped, observed with care, then commenced chatter¬ 
ing wildly. For some time he advanced toward the object of 
his curiosity, and would then retreat, advancing nearer each 
time, and as he retreated would not go so far. In general, 
behaving in the same identical manner as when under the 
hypnotic spell of the rattler. When the squirrel had advanced 
upon him to within a distance of two feet and appeared in the 
act of leaping upon his upturned finger, he clapped his hands 
together, and he clawed up the earth back to the creek from 
whence he had come. 

Men are of contrary minds as regards the source of the 
reptile’s hypnotic power. Some insist that he derives such 
power from his rattles, yet those without rattles possess the 
same power. Others insist that the musk the rattler throws 
possesses a stupefying effect which overcomes his prey, yet those 
possessing no musk appear to possess the same magic power. 
A few insist that the crazy markings on their skin serve to 
deceive the senses of the animal or bird, finally rendering him 
completely unconscious, maybe lifeless, yet those with solid 
coloring are found duplicating the tricks of those possessing 
all the colors of Jacob’s coat of old. Without doubt, more 
observers believe that in their eyes is to be found the source of 
more power than in any single one of these other devices. 
Once having drawn their prey to within close range by the 
employment of these other charms such hapless bird or animal 
seems wholly unable to retire. Some insist that they possess a 
basilisk eye, or eye with power to actually kill. They assuredly 
are not without good reasons for believing as they do. 

From time immemorial reptiles have somehow been asso¬ 
ciated with evil influences in the world, and it is entirely rea¬ 
sonable that had not the Book of Genesis been handed down 
to us of this generation, reptiles would have been inseparably 
linked with the evil doings of the Black Prince and his imps. 
Evolutionists, psychologists, authorities on the laws of heredity 
and learned men of other fields for whose opinions the writer 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


115 


entertains the most profound respect, hold that man’s antip¬ 
athy toward reptiles is somewhat obscured by the mists of 
antiquity. They wdll tell you, unblushingly, that in man’s prim¬ 
itive state he was compelled to resort to tree life, even sleeping 
in a bed of twigs and leaves, far above the ferocious beasts of 
the jungle. But, strange as it might seem, it was not the roar¬ 
ing lion which instilled fear in the rugged heart of our primi¬ 
tive ancestors as they sought repose upon their bed of twigs 
at the close of the day, but another more crafty, more dan¬ 
gerous, and more stealthy—the serpent. In the darkness of 
the night he would climb the tree, as noiselessly as a slippered 
monk on a velvet carpet. If, while in the act of robbing his 
treetop cradle, the serpent should arouse the father and 
mother, then a fierce battle for possession of the babe would 
ensue, and with the odds all against our primitive parents. All 
too often they would awaken in the morning to view an empty 
cradle. 

As intimated in the beginning of the above paragraph, such 
represents merely the theorizing of learned men. We neither 
endorse their theories nor condemn them. If, however, the 
primitive existence of man has been correctly portrayed, then 
it does not require a genius to understand man’s aversion to 
reptiles—the law of heredity being as pronounced as the law 
of self-preservation. 

But is it not time we were turning our attention again to 
Uncle Dave? He cannot be left alone for long before we find 
him in another fight with a rattler. On this occasion, however, 
we find him merely observing a duel between a diamond-back 
and a king snake—simply occupying a ringside seat while the 
fight went on to a decision. Now, the king snake seems to be 
a close cousin to the python and tropical boa, non-venomous, 
but killing his enemies and prey by constriction. He had taken 
notice of a small king snake trailing something. While they 
had met face to face, the little fellow was so absorbed with his 
business that he did not so much as respond to the old gentle¬ 
man’s “Howdy do?” Here’s my chance to learn something, 
thought he. So he strolled along, bringing up the rear, so to 
speak, until the little fellow’s queer behavior might be better 



See legend on opposite page EiT 3 





CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


117 


understood. Approaching a dense growth of briars he paused 
instantly as though he heard something which warranted in¬ 
vestigation. The little fellow was right—he was right in there. 
This was confirmed by the old gentleman when he, too, peered 
into the briars. Knowing that he was being pursued he tarried 
there in the hope of avoiding detection. If a fight was inevit¬ 
able, thought he, then this would not prove to be such a poorly 
chosen battlefield, or at least not so when viewed from the 
standpoint of his own needs. The little fellow scrutinized his 
husky adversary in minutest detail, then, conscious of his own 
diminutive size, backed out of what appeared to him to be a 
most unhealthy situation, leaving the scene without loss of 
time. Now, Uncle Dave was not so sure that he had seen all 
of the show. He could not believe that this little fellow would 
have expended so much energy driving this big brute to cover 
had he been utterly without plans when he found him. The 
Satanic keenness which guided him surely had not permitted 
him to overlook the one important fact that he was chasing an 
enemy ten times his own size. At any rate, he would simply 
tarry for a time. He never did like to kill one in too much 
haste, anyway—seemed to derive pleasure from contemplating 
the deed as much as by executing his designs. 

Hearing a rustling noise in the leaves behind him he looked 
backward to observe that the little fellow had returned to the 
scene after enlisting the aid of his mamma—now the battle was 
on. Of course, the charge should not be leveled at the little 


1, 2—“UNCLE DAVE” Nettles, that untutored old Master of Arts, 
fully armed, and ready for the chase. His only equipment, or weapons, 
consist of the sack, which he wears suspended at his side, flashlight, 
spade, as well as rod and noose which he holds in his right hand. 

3—So hazardous is this sport, or war (whichever one might term it) 
that he is loathe to hunt alone. On this occasion he has enlisted the serv¬ 
ices of two of his sons, six eyes being better than two. Even so, there 
is no hope whatever that this trio will see the reptile first. They are 
entering into the sand-ridge hummock land where the diamond-back 
hibernates during the cold winter months. 

4, 5, 6, 7, 8—Fully satisfied that his quarry has gone forth to sun him¬ 
self, Uncle Dave and his sons proceed to search among the palmettoes 
and other growths which might afford him shelter, combing every inch of 
the ground with care until he is located. Note the serious expressions 
on their faces—no posing for the cameraman—a single off-look at a 
critical moment and the diamond-back might chalk up a point in his own 
favor. 




See legend on opposite page j^r 3 







CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


119 


fellow that he was lacking in personal courage. Every desire 
of his being was to break the big brute’s bones, and the sound 
of his spine cracking within his coil would have been sweet 
music to his ears, for had they not been uncompromising ene¬ 
mies since creeping things first crept upon the earth? Reason, 
however, guided him, so adopting the philosophy of the sea¬ 
soned soldier, “Discretion is the better part of valor,” he 
avoided battle, the odds being hopelessly against him as they 
were. 

As a preliminary, the large king snake began maneuvering 
for a position of advantage, while the rattler remained coiled, 
singing his rattles gently, all the while keeping his black eyes 
upon his opponent. This, incidentally, was the thing the king 
snake least wanted. He knew by instinct, or possibly had ac¬ 
quired the knowledge in actual combat, that while the rattler 
was to be dreaded, he had a very serious weakness in his armor. 
Mention has been made elsewhere that when the rattler’s eyes 
have been riveted to a single object or person, it is difficult for 
another to share his attention, even to a slight degree. It has 
been made clear already that his power of concentration aids 
him greatly in procuring his food supply and concentration, it 
appears, is the one prime requisite to the effective exercise of 
this mysterious art. In order to get the rattler’s attention fixed 
where he wanted it the king snake withdrew his head to a point 
where it was invisible, then commenced rattling the leaves with 

1, 2, 3—All day long Uncle Dave and the writer had pursued the 
elusive diamond-back, and nary a one found we. With camera in hand 
we caught him as he looked into the depths of a dense bamboo bayou, 
wondering if they might be found on the sand ridge beyond. Concluding 
definitely that their hide-out would surely be found on the other side of 
this briar-tangled morass he hit his stride for the farther side. 

4, 5—One by one he searches with flashlight the holes the gopher has 
made in the soft, dry sand until he discovers unmistakable sign that such 
“dug-out” has a deadly tenant. Then he proceeds slowly, and with ex¬ 
treme caution, to make preparations for uncovering the defender. These 
are all typical of the old gentleman at his task—he little realized that 
a photo was being taken, so engrossed was he at his labors. 

6, 7, 8—His faithful dog is by no means an amateur, but renders val¬ 
uable service on occasions. In two of the photographs the dog appears 
interested in what is going on, but in the third one in which he appears 
he knows positively that the reptile has abandoned the hole and is wait¬ 
ing rather sullenly and with visible signs of disgust for his master to 
make the same discovery. 





See legend on opposite page jfSgr 3 









CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


121 


his tail at a point within a foot or two of the diamond-back. 
The king snake had worked out every detail with such con¬ 
summate skill that when the diamond-back turned quickly to 
face the supposed menace, the side of his head and neck were 
exposed to the real menace. By such act the rattler signed his 
own death warrant. The king snake, finding his opening, you 
can always depend upon him not to overlook it. 

Once having taken up the sword in his war against rattlers, 
it appeared that he would never again have need of the scab¬ 
bard. The only truce Uncle Dave ever knew, which, after all, 
was no truce at all, was during that brief interval of time elaps¬ 
ing between his last battle and the date another rattler dared 
cross his path. 

It was a fine spring day. The sun had dissipated the last 
cold winds of winter, and the old gentleman felt that urge ex¬ 
perienced by all farmers on such occasions. He was moved 
by that irresistible prodding to survey his fields and do some 
planning for the forthcoming year. On one side of his field 
adjacent to a small river bordering his plantation was a piece 
of waste land which had never proved profitable when planted 
to the usual crops. For a number of years it had been aban¬ 
doned with the result that it had grown over with broomsedge, 
gall shrubs, sumac, and every species of noxious weeds and 
shrubs. It was neither a stream nor a pond, but rather a de¬ 
pression between the hills, leading out from the river, and 
terminating as a springhead at the foot of the hills which were 
being cultivated. Throughout the greater portion of the nor- 


1, 2—While Uncle Dave is practically fearless, insofar as the diamond- 
back is concerned, yet he does not deliberately go courting disaster. He 
realizes all too well that his enemy is a genius at camouflage, and that 
the best trained eye may, at times, overlook him when within plain view. 
To offset such danger he usually works with another member of the 
party, trusting an assistant to guard over him while peering into the 
hole. 

3—A mere glance at the photograph would convince anyone of the 
wisdom of such policy. Ofttimes they dash with amazing speed for their 
hide-out and would not hesitate to brush against the old gentleman’s face, 
if such were necessary to gain admission to their holes. 

4, 5, 6—Once he has his quarry definitely located he proceeds to subdue 
him with whatever tools the situation demands. If outside the hole 
sunning he utilizes his rod and noose. If in the gopher’s hole then the 
spade is brought into play. 



rm?. 



See legend on opposite page 











CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


123 


mal farm year the soil was damp, and thereby unfit for the 
planting of the usual crops. Just the place for a rice patch, he 
reasoned. And why not? Rice grown in other states had, for 
a long time, enjoyed a very profitable market, resulting in this 
particular item on his family budget standing in need of atten¬ 
tion. Even at that, “store-bought” rice was not nearly so tasty 
as the home-grown, or the unglazed variety. So, thought he, 
I’ll shrub this place out and grow my own rice henceforth. 
True enough, there was no rice mill convenient, but he could 
build himself a mortar and pestle and remove the rough cover¬ 
ing of the grain without the necessity of driving long distances 
to mill. His father, having been reared during the Reconstruc- 


1— To the casual observer cattle bones illustrated above mean little. 
To Uncle Dave they betray the presence of an overgrown pair of rattlers, 
particularly whenever they are long distances from the corral. One 
farmer, operating on a very small scale, reported the loss of five cows 
in a single summer, including a valuable milch cow. It pays a wonderful 
dividend to eradicate them when one’s premises is thus infested. 

It is more or less of a mystery why the rattler bites more cows than 
any other animal at large. While the odor of cattle may be objectionable 
to them, they have been observed fleeing from the path of cattle, lest 
they be trampled to death by their sharp hoofs. 

2— On another fine spring day his sons prevailed upon him to go with 
them to the woodland for a walk. Soon his unusually keen sense of smell 
detected an odor perfectly familiar to him, but which surprisingly few 
people could identify. Calling the boys to a halt that he might do some 
looking about he located the angered diamond-back by the stifling musk 
arising from the reptile—he was standing astride him. Safely disposing 
of the little fellow by his side he got into reverse and backed safely away 
from the menace. Soon the “All-Clear Signal” was sounded and they 
were off again on their mission. 

3, 4—It is interesting to note that when a rattler coils solely for repose, 
he keeps both head and rattles side by side, and in the center of the coil— 
he employs both eyes and rattles in his art of fascination, since they 
appear to be more effective when used in conjunction with each other. 
When he is preparing for an attack he keeps his head near the center of 
a rather' irregular coil, throwing his tail forward toward the object of 
his wrath. He has a-definite purpose in doing this. He can, if necessary, 
leap over the point of his tail, thus doubling his length. Beware when 
they assume such a posture. 

5, 6—When removed from his place of hiding and deposited upon 
ground selected by man his presence is readily revealed, proving that 
this wily reptile is endowed with a more dependable sense of colors than 
man. When deposited upon snow-white sand his color and form stand 
out in detail. 

7 —Take note of the large rattler held in an upright position. He is 
an aristocrat among rattlers, being the true diamond-back, and is be¬ 
coming almost extinct. Uncle Dave calls him a “sport model.” 

The others of the group, being of a darker hue, are called swamp 
rattlers. 




See legend on opposite page 
















CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


125 


tion era in the South, coached his sons with the most painstak¬ 
ing care in the art of constructing and operating a mortar, and 
such training now stood him in well, in that he had never known 
luxury. 

Penetrating the “rough” for the purpose of conducting a 
casual inspection, the first thing which gained his attention was 
a “cotton-tail” rabbit go bounding off through the briars. Im¬ 
mediately came that same familiar whir-r-r-r. It was apparent 
that he was becoming more infuriated with the passing of every 
second. He knew that he was almost upon him because of the 
sickening odor of his musk emitted when thoroughly angered. 
With the aid of his well-trained eyes he could not, for the life 
of him, locate him. By this time his hearing was becoming 
confused—he could not depend upon his ears any longer. 
Turning his head from side to side, then facing the rear—even 
looking straight up overhead (where he knew he was not) he 
seemed to be immediately in front of him. This occasioned 
him no particular cause for alarm, he being too familiar with 
the tricks of the rattler. The latter appeared conscious of the 
advantage he enjoyed, notunlike the lion that remains crouched 


1—“Big Ben” and his keeper traveled from town to town where they 
had opportunity to meet the finest people.* 

2, 3—Going forth one fine day in early spring to survey his farm for 
the forthcoming year he concluded that this broom-sedge lowland could 
be put to better account than housing diamond-backs and luring rabbits 
thither for their sustenance. A fight of no little intensity ensued. Uncle 
Dave, reckoning with one’s presence, had taken his potato hook along. 
Suddenly a cotton-tail went bounding away to the timbered land—simul¬ 
taneously sounded the whir-r-r-r of one’s rattles, then the fight was on. 
His eyes, trained though they were, failed to reveal him. Soon his hear¬ 
ing became so confused that he could not tell from whence the sound 
came. Bringing his long-handle hook into play he soon combed him out 
of the straw litter, settling all accounts with Mr. Diamond-back. No 
mystery at all—the rattler being so enraged—He had a date to take 
Mr. Rabbit to lunch when Uncle Dave butted in—an uninvited guest. 

However, the fight was well worth the making—he grew himself sev¬ 
eral barrels of rice on this lowland, long since abandoned to other crops. 

4— If the Old Master of the Art is present when one is located he is 
almost invariably, by reason of his seniority, given the pleasure and 
honor of fixing the noose upon the neck of the brute. 

5 — As an added precaution men holding the bag use an oak limb with 
spur on end with which to hold the bag open. This is important. 

6— Not infrequently, however, he waives such right and honor, delegat¬ 
ing one of his lieutenants he has so painstakingly trained to perform 
such task. 

*See story, pages 102 and 103. 





See legend on opposite page 








CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


127 


in the tall grass applying his ventriloquism as the herd of deer 
dash frantically at every roar of the unseen beast. 

The path he had,followed into the “rough” held forth his 
most promising avenue of escape unscathed, so he subdued his 
pride and retreated from the scene, but not for long. Re¬ 
appearing presently, armed with matches and a potato hook, 
he was prepared to renew the battle. With the aid of his rake 
and some straw gathered for the purpose, he encircled the 
“rough” with a fire, leaving an opening of twenty or thirty 
feet on one side where no fire was strewn, standing conven¬ 
iently near that he might guard that. Soon the dry grass and 
litter became a raging inferno. The table had been turned 
about—it was now the rattler’s turn to run. Rearing his head 
above the level of the grass to survey the situation, he ob¬ 
served only this one possible avenue of escape—whether or 
not he took note of Uncle Dave standing by is not in the story. 
They seem to dread fire worse than any other enemy. His only 
thought, seemingly, was to escape the flame. Then if it should 


1— Leaping with the agility of a jungle cat he threw the rattler clear 
of his leg, thus delivering himself from the danger which menaced him.* 

2— “Das de way I alius kills ’em, Miss, an’ ah nevvah is been bit yit.”** 

3— It was with the greatest imaginable difficulty that he ever found 
this one. He had pursued him into a rough spot in the center of his field. 
The ground having been cultivated all around the spot affording him 
shelter left no possible doubt in his mind that he was lurking there, ob¬ 
serving every move he made, but to find him proved to be a Herculean 
task. Not until he finally mounted the fence, balancing himself with a 
rail did he ever locate him. His vision proved better looking straight 
down than when peering through the straw and weeds. Less obstruction 
being encountered, he finally found him lying lengthwise on a flat bottom 
rail, so decayed that his color blended perfectly with it. 

4— Uncle Dave’s hopes were running high as he trudged his way 
toward his favorite hunting ground with fishing tackle and “cap-an’- 
ball” rifle. 

5— The red-fin pike splashing the ink-black waters of the lagoons was 
a sight calculated to challenge the sporting blood of any humble follower 
of Izaak Walton. Besides being a tasty dish they presented a picture 
fit to adorn the walls of nobility’s hunting lodges. 

They bit like famished wolves, but when the old gentleman came 
around to the point of stringing up his fish where he had thrown them, 
nary a one was found. A large water-rattler had crept silently from 
underneath a great tussock and had devoured them all. 

6— Sorrowfully he trudged his way homeward to a plate of cold blue- 
stem collards and corn-pone when his appetite had been built up for 
well brown pike, corn-dodgers seasoned with onions, and freshly brewed 
coffee. 


*See story, pages 53 and 54. 

**See story, page 59. 





See legend on opposite page 


0 






CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


129 


develop that some man was at the bottom of all this—well, he 
would attend to him in due season. With head reared high, he 
came charging through the open way, but Uncle Dave stood 
his ground like a well-disciplined Roman sentry. Delaying a 
well-aimed blow until he was sure that the handle would have 
the necessary reach, he pinned him to the ground with his 
potato hook. 

Employing a bit of imagination the missing links in this little 
episode can be readily supplied. Mr. Rattler had spent a hard 
winter and had emerged from his hideout all but famished. 
This was his first decent spring day for hunting. He was busy 
employing his magic upon Mr. Cotton-tail, and was all set for 
taking him in when Uncle Dave appeared upon the scene, driv¬ 
ing his quarry away. Nothing else can succeed quite as well in 
so enraging a rattler. It matters not if it be man or beast—or 
if it be by deliberate design or wholly unintentional, whoever 
commits this unforgivable crime is sure to pay with his life 
provided he comes within striking distance just at such instant. 

Treating himself to an afternoon off from his farming and 
turpentine activities, he assembled his fishing tackle and set 
out for the lakes. No sooner than he had entered the river 
swamp he was challenged by a full-grown diamond-back lying 
crosswise the cattle trail he was following. Laying his tackle 
upon the ground, he cut himself a club from a green tupelo 
gum nearby. When it became apparent that there was going 


1, 2. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7—Think your own eyes are perfectly reliable, do you? 
Then how would you like to go hunting" for the diamond-back? The prints 
on opposite page are perfect reproductions of the spot of ground upon 
which the camera was focused. Strands of grass no larger than a needle 
are plainly visible, yet a diamond-back as large as the average man’s leg, 
fully exposed to view is practically invisible. In three of the photographs 
they were sheltered by no covering grass or litter whatever. They are 
artists at camouflage. They are also perfect judges of colors, and in ad¬ 
dition their scales seem to absorb and reflect light, reflecting it in the 
exact color as when it falls upon them, thus their color blends and fuses 
with the shadows or the light about them. The camera was within three 
feet of the reptile when these exposures were made. 

8—When hot on trail of the diamond-back he takes no chances what¬ 
ever of one side-stepping him by concealing himself underneath a log 
or inside a great hollow tree as shown here. A mere glance at the ground 
and he can tell with amazing certainty just where one would most likely 
be found when he can no longer elude his pursuer, but must stop and 
make a stand. 




See legend on opposite page 










CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


131 


to be a finish fight, the rattler crawled up against a large pine 
tree. This was done deliberately, and for well-considered rea¬ 
sons—that he might have only one front to defend. Just the 
same one front proved too many with Uncle Dave attacking 
on that front. The job having been well done, he gathered up 
his tackle and proceeded on his mission. He had judged by 
the phase and position of the moon and the direction of the 
wind that fish would bite well that afternoon, and his signs did 
not fail him. Ere the sun had reached the horizon he had fish 
quite sufficient for his needs, consequently reasoned that he 
would not permit darkness to overtake him in the dense swamp. 
Then, too, he entertained some suspicion that the mate of the 
slain rattler might be lurking in the vicinity, hence it would be 
the part of wisdom to pass this danger point en route home 
before the approach of dusk. Even his trained eye would not 
prove adequate to detect one’s dull brown form, thus handi¬ 
capped. On arriving at the spot where the diamond-back had 


1—The old gentleman was glad when he made the discovery that one 
pup among his litter was endowed with “snake-sense.” He needed no 
thrashing to impress upon him the fact that diamond-backs were deadly— 
he knew instinctively that they were his most deadly enemy. With a bit 
of preliminary training he would leash the dog, to keep him under per¬ 
fect control, thus hunting down and destroying many which would other¬ 
wise have made their escape. Otto appears to have lost interest in the 
chase—he has a hunch that his master put him on back-track. 

2, 3—During the summer months, when the lowlands are completely 
overflowed, is an excellent time to hunt. They abandon the flooded 
swamps, crawling upon road beds, or concealing themselves among wild 
shrubs bordering the flooded area. 

If they should choose to remain within the confines of the swamp they 
almost invariably crawl upon some floating log to await the passing of 
the flood water. 

More likely than not they elect to go to the high land, knowing that 
the rabbits have preceded them—they appear to have no dread of water 
whatever. 

4 —Diamond-backs, like members of the human family,, vary greatly 
temperamentally. Occasionally one is found to be so peaceably disposed 
that he could safely be carried about with ungloved hands. Others are 
real gangsters in the animal kingdom, ready to strike instantly at the 
sight or sound of any passerby. This fellow belonged definitely to the 
latter class. Having concluded definitely that he did not want to go to 
jail he fought so desperately, lashing out in all directions that he threw 
himself free from the noose. His captors gave him a wide berth until 
some member of the party could do the job all over again. 

5, 6—When the old gentleman lassoes a giant and vicious specimen 
nothing delights him more than to humble his pride. Once subdued and 
securely tied up he makes him open up and show his deadly fangs. 




See legend on opposite page talr 3 





CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


133 


been slain it was not necessary to take a second look. The male 
of the pair had already arrived upon the scene, and was lying 
by the side of the dead one, stretched out to his full length, 
parallel with the dead, apparently mourning the loss. 

Acquainted as he was with their nature and habits in the 
wild state, it was quite easy to understand how this fellow came 
to know of the tragic death of his mate, even prior to that hour 
of the day when they exchange calls. Before being killed she 
had been thoroughly angered, vibrating her rattles with such 
intensity that the sound of them could have been heard several 
hundred feet away. It was evidently heard by the surviving 
member of the pair, and no sooner than the man had passed 
on, the survivor crept up to the scene of the battle to ascertain 
if the worst had happened. 

For the reason that so little is known of the rattler, even 
by people who have lived in infested territory all of their lives, 
a myth has been current for generations that the rattler has a 
pilot, very much the same as the crows will send a lone mem¬ 
ber ahead for the purpose of drawing the fire of the hunter 
should one be concealed from view, directly in line with the 
flight of the flock. Such an idea, of course, is wholy erroneous, 
inasmuch as they do not travel together, neither follow each 
other’s trails as a habit. By remaining separated they enjoy 
the added advantage of greater security. If one be killed the 
other will survive. It is a fact worth noting in passing that 
they never come immediately to each other’s aid when men¬ 
aced—each fights his own battle, unaided—each avenges what- 


1, 2, 3, 4, 5—These are characteristic poses of Uncle Dave when he 
has one securely looped and ready to be bagged. 

6, 7—These photos represent a normal day’s catch, when, as Uncle 
Dave says,—“They’re biting good.” Sixty feet of silent, creeping death. 
They might easily have destroyed one thousand dollars worth of cattle 
in a single summer had not Uncle Dave and his “Suicide Squad” come 
along.* 

8—Occasionally it so happens that he has no bag convenient when he 
has made a fine catch, but this occasions him no worry. He simply locates 
them a warm spot in the sunshine and leaves them secured to the pole 
with which they were noosed, continuing his hunt for miles up the creek, 
gathering them up on his return. For some reason, unknown, they ap¬ 
pear little disposed to attempt a “jail-break.” 

Then again he ties their heads to a short stick, as illustrated, and 
carries them along as he would a suit-case. 


*See photographs, page 132. 




134 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


ever wrongs may be done him. They do, however, match their 
wits against men and beasts in other ways—such as may con¬ 
tribute to their mutual well-being. On one occasion early in 
our quest to uncover some of the secrets of the diamond-back, 
the writer himself was so completely outwitted that it was a 
bit humiliating. 

We might repeat that the call of the rattler is difficult to 
imitate, yet we had gathered from others a pretty good idea 
of the note should it ever be our privilege to hear one. We had 
gathered, too, that they called only at dusk and dawn. This 
was worthwhile information. At long last we heard a pair 
within three hundred feet of our residence talking to each 
other. This had been going on for a week or so before it 
finally dawned on us that it was the mating call of the rattler. 



♦See story, pages 231 to 235. 










CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


135 


Having their positions located, we set out at dusk one summer 
evening determined to hunt them down, regardless of the risk 
to our personal safety. Now, it seems that ofttimes one of the 
pair does practically all the calling for several days—if the 
other calls at all it is a mere cricket chirp, of which the average 
person would take no note. It thus happened on this occasion. 
The one we endeavored to stalk was out on a small sand knoll 
thickly covered with shrub oaks. We were not even aware of 
the presence of the other down in a dense undergrowth within 
the creek swamp. True enough, we had been hearing the call 
of the other, but had not up to the time mentioned identified 
it as the call of the rattler. We had presumed that it was the 
chattering of some bird. As we drew near to the one on the 
hillside, though we had taken every possible precaution to 
cushion our footsteps, he evidently heard or felt us while we 
were still fully two hundred feet away. Just at this time we 
were thrown into a state of confusion. We had been convinced 
all the while that we were on the correct course, but when we 
heard him again he was almost behind us. Changing our 
course we followed up again until we were led squarely up to 
the dense undergrowth. To penetrate such, under the circum¬ 
stances, was not only hopeless, but highly hazardous, conse¬ 
quently we gave up the chase. It was not until several days had 
elapsed that it dawned upon us that this pair had taken full 
advantage of our utter unfamiliarity with their craftiness. It 
was clear to us then. The one on the hilltop had signalled the 
one down in the swamp, by snake code, to take up the song, 
that he was signing off due to the close proximity of some snoop¬ 
ing human. Though we never came closer than two hundred 
feet of either of them, and while no disturbance whatever was 
created, yet they seemed to sense the fact that we were search¬ 
ing for them because of the call, they either departed imme¬ 
diately for other hunting ground or desisted from making their 
loud call for the remainder of the summer. Crafty creatures! 

Another advantage is gained by them remaining apart dur¬ 
ing the hunting season. As already stated, if one is killed the 
other is spared, but the main idea appears to be that hunting 
is better—game is more easily bagged by reason of their prac- 


136 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


tice of pursuing separate courses. They divide up the territory, 
as it were. 

Prior to the time we cultivated an intimate acquaintance 
with Uncle Dave and many of his fellow snake hunters we had 
been pursuing “lone wolf” tactics in our endeavor to com¬ 
pletely unmask this old wizard of the wiregrass region. Many 
of the mysterious habits of the rattler literally fascinated us. 
As a mere child we listened to older people speak of their 
visits to the scene of the slaying of their mate. None of the 
older people knew the why of the mystery, which served to 
whet our mental appetite for a better knowledge of this par¬ 
ticular secret. As we grew up, the mystery seemed to deepen 
rather than lend itself to more ready solution. Such was during 
a period in our life when we felt that men who write books, 
magazine and newspaper articles knew ALL things, so we 
never passed up an opportunity to read such articles by her¬ 
petologists, or so-called snake experts, in the hope that some 
day this mystery, as well as other uncanny powers attributed 
to this most interesting reptile, would be made clear to us. 
Such hope was in vain. Finally, having despaired of ever learn¬ 
ing anything worthwhile from those considered in position to 
know, we shunted all experts aside and cultivated the acquaint¬ 
ance and intimacy of laymen who had spent their entire lives 
observing and annihilating these fellows. Such policy was not 
adopted, however, until we had communicated with the most 
noted living experts, read all that their pens had produced on 
the subject, and had concluded definitely and for all time that 
they knew little or nothing about the wild life of the reptile. 
In this connection it is not amiss, we feel, to give the reader 
the benefit of some advice an old teacher gave us when the 
time was at hand to go forth and complete our education in the 
great world which lay before us. In substance, if not in so 
many words, he advised: “When you go forth into the world, 
by all means continue your quest after knowledge. Get away 
from the idea that you have learned everything worth know¬ 
ing in school. The greatest college in all the world is the great 
outdoors. Learn to properly evaluate the things you hear and 
see in life, and if you would acquire the most in the way of 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


137 


knowledge on any subject that may prove of interest to you, 
then go to someone who has worked at that particular task all 
of his life, and listen attentively and respectfully while he in¬ 
structs you concerning it.” 

At the time, the above sounded like good philosophy, and 
during all the intervening years we have had no occasion to 
change our mind in any particular regarding the merits of it. 
We had gone to the great authorities and had learned nothing. 
Very naturally we concluded that we would be governed by the 
advice of this old teacher and go to those who had daily en¬ 
countered the problems which had vexed us so long. 

At first we could scarcely subdue our pride and go boldly to 
men who had never seen the inside of a high school building 
and ask of them that we be instructed concerning great mys¬ 
teries. What! Walk boldly past instructors in our great col¬ 
leges and ask knowledge of men utterly lacking in high school 
or college training? It didn’t seem to make sense. Yet, after 
all, perhaps it did. These college students, college professors, 
and the great doctors of laws had not, for any great length of 
time, risked their shanks down in the hardwood hummocks 
and infested swamplands to the deadly fangs of the diamond- 
backs. Therefore, how could they possibly know? True, they 
might make occasional visits down to the zoo, or even en¬ 
counter one in the wild, but the rattler is slow to yield up all 
his secrets. In a state of captivity one views only the physical 
form of the serpent. The real serpent is no longer there. One 
would never learn .the truth about the American Indian view¬ 
ing and observing him in the stockade. The average person 
living for a period of sixty or seventy years where rattlers are 
plentiful would not, at the best, make more than two or three 
worthwhile observations—most men very likely would never 
happen upon anything worth noting. It is only by putting to¬ 
gether all the observations of a hundred lay observers that a 
true and detailed picture of the diamond-back can be con¬ 
structed. It has been to such task that we have so faithfully 
devoted ourselves, to the end that the truth concerning this 
interesting reptile may finally be known. 

For many years we literally groped in darkness, getting no 


138 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


place worth the going. We listened in on everything which 
appeared to bear even a remote relationship to the secret we 
sought. 

During the long years we pursued this one subject we 
chanced to take notice of an article written by someone who 
evidently was familiar with his subject. While it might appear 
to bear little relationship to the subject of just what secret 
means the rattler employed in communicating with his mate, 
yet it was worth noting. The article in question dealt with the 
squeak of the leather-wing bat. The thought was conveyed 
that while young people experience no difficulty in hearing the 
shrill squeak, few past forty ever hear it again, due to a re¬ 
vision downward of the scale of the human ear. This much we 
knew from our own experiences and observations. Even at its 
best the human ear, like the human eye, has its limitations. 
The ear can hear what it was built to hear, and no more. The 
eye can see what it was built to see, and no more. All this, as 
already stated, might be worth something. Maybe not. It was 
not impossible, we reasoned, that the rattler possessed a call 
of some kind readily audible to each other, but outside the 
range of hearing of the human ear. 

Another article written by a noted ornithologist convinced 
us that perhaps there was something of merit to such line of 
reasoning. The blackbird was given as an example. There 
may be ten thousand birds down in a field chirping—making a 
noise which would render the ordinary note inaudible. Yet, 
when their sentry on duty in some tall tree utters a note of 
warning, every single bird in the field hears it as clearly as a 
bugle blast would be heard above the roar of artillery on the 
battlefield. All the birds take wings at the same instant, even 
to the furthermost corner of a large field. Up until recent 
times this was the blackbird’s secret, but is now shared by man. 
No great mystery, after all. Like the leather-wing bat, he is 
capable of uttering a piercing cry so highly pitched that it is 
wholly outside the range of the human ear. 

So year after year we perused all articles and volumes com¬ 
ing before us which held forth the slightest clue to the secret 
we sought. Some entomologist once wrote a highly interesting 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


139 


and informative article about a certain species of moth. Appar¬ 
ently he was thoroughly convinced that this moth under study 
was equipped by nature with both a sending radio set and 
an antenna. For the purpose of proving the point he would 
take a pair of them, enclosing one in an air-tight and light¬ 
proof box. Then he would place some mark of identification 
upon the other. Employing a high-speed automobile he would 
drive hurriedly from the scene to some isolated spot a long 
distance from where the mate was left. Presently the latter 
would appear upon the scene. 

Many of these seemingly impossible feats attributed to the 
animal and insect world have been dwelt upon merely to pre¬ 
pare the reader for an acceptance of our contention that there 
is nothing unreasonable about the rattler uttering a mating 
call, swallowing its young when danger threatens, hypnotizing 
its prey, confusing the ears and eyes of prey and enemies alike. 
Other members of the animal and insect world regularly per¬ 
form equally as amazing feats. When the scientist comes face 
to face with some seemingly impossible or unbelievable feat 
which laymen insist they have witnessed at close range, and to 
which they freely testify under oath, the former “poo poo” the 
whole of the story, theorizing ever so eloquently that such 
would be physically impossible. The layman is not particularly 
interested in the possibility or the impossibility of such feat— 
he sees him doing these things, and to him such is very con¬ 
vincing. 

The electric eel, while by no means a huge creature, is 
capable of storing within his form sufficient voltage of elec¬ 
tricity to burn out household electrical fixtures, or administer a 
fatal charge to man. Had such not been definitely established 
it, too, would surely have been disavowed by science as being 
(theoretically) impossible. 

Ornothologists have laid claim to some wonderful physical 
feats for the humming bird, one having to do with long flight 
without refueling. It is claimed by some that this tiny bird is 
capable of making a non-stop flight from the coasts of Maine 
to the depths of the Brazilian jungles. Presuming upon the 
truth of such claims, doubtless aeronautical engineers of the 


140 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


world would like to know more of the type of fuel used. With 
the use of fuel of such potency, our largest army bombers 
would be enabled to fly non-stop for ten millions of miles. 

Gradually it dawned upon us that we had begun an investi¬ 
gation into a field which had never been explored. The rea¬ 
sons, of course, are perfectly obvious. Members of scientific 
bodies simply cannot spare the time from their normal activi¬ 
ties to devote to a study of the rattler in the wild state. He is 
so crafty and sly that anyone going out deliberately to make a 
study of him, to the exclusion of all else, would find it too dull 
a life—too devoid of worthwhile results. It could not be guar¬ 
anteed to them that they would, even in a lifetime, happen upon 
a single occurrence worth recording. The layman goes about 
his work, but when one in tens of thousands happen to stumble 
upon something worth noting, the whole scientific world adopts 
an attitude highly prejudicial to the layman’s claims. When 
asked if these things are true they usually insist modestly, “No 
reputable scientist has ever witnessed it.” All of which means 
that if a scientist doesn’t see it, then it’s no good. 

As stated elsewhere, the subject-matter going into the prep¬ 
aration of this volume represents the combined observations 
of more than one hundred observers who have lived as neigh¬ 
bors to rattlers from childhood to old age. As stated in the 
preface, if the lives of all who have contributed to its contents 
were pooled into that of a single individual, and he had been 
born one thousand years prior to the reign of the Pharaohs, he 
would still be tramping river swamps, hardwood hummocks, 
and sand ridges throughout the Deep South, and with his ob¬ 
servations still incomplete. 

The services of laymen are often employed by astronomers 
very advantageously. Infinite space cannot be searched with 
painstaking care every minute of the night by the regular per¬ 
sonnel of the few large astronomical observatories of the 
world. For such reasons comets, or even hitherto uncharted 
planetoids may be within plain view of them, and yet remain 
undetected. If a layman, or amateur astronomer, should make 
an observation in some remote corner of the universe which 
he deems of sufficient importance he can, via telegraph, direct 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


141 


the attention of the nearest observatory to the spot, and with 
the aid of their superior equipment they may wrest some hid¬ 
den secret from the heavens which may well prove of enduring 
wealth or benefit to their science. Such comet or planetoid is 
very obliging under such circumstances. It will remain sus¬ 
pended in infinite space until all who have the curiosity to do 
so may train their telescopes upon her and have a good look. 
Such cannot be said for the rattler. When observed in the act 
of hypnotizing a squirrel, rabbit, or bird, he will not obligingly 
await the arrival of the newsreel man, summoned from the city 
by telegraph or telephone. On the contrary, when they arrive 
upon the scene the show is all over and he has departed for 
the jungle with the challenge, “Find me if you can.” 

It was with no prejudice whatever that we turned from 
so-called experts on reptiles and tied our fortunes in with lay¬ 
men, who really knew the rattler in the wild state, but rather 
that we might acquire the knowledge about him for which we 
had so long and so patiently sought. Needless to say that our 
patience was almost instantly rewarded. The Caterpillar Club 
boasts of one of the most exclusive memberships in the world. 
We believe that such honor rightfully belongs to the “Dia¬ 
mond-Back Charmers” of the Deep South. By such designa¬ 
tion we mean the small band of men who go out deliberately 
to hunt down and take alive the largest, most ferocious, most 
poisonous and most dreaded reptile on the North American 
Continent. He is doubtless the most dangerous snake in the 
whole world. 

We once knew a gentleman who had been employed by a 
large naval stores operator to exterminate rattlers along a 
river swamp in order that his employees working in the wood¬ 
lands might be more secure against such menace. It was a haz¬ 
ardous occupation, as the one accepting such employment well 
knew, yet the work required little physical exertion, and the 
compensation was attractive. For several years he plied his 
trade and all went well. Some days he would bag one, other 
days none, and when fortune smiled upon him he might take 
a dozen or two. A price of two dollars was placed upon their 
heads. It was a big day for him when he chanced to locate a 


142 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


mother and fourteen young loitering about a gopher hole 
which she was utilizing as a hideout for her offspring. He 
captured all of them as part of one day’s work. His employer, 
being a just man, did not lay down any definite specifications 
as to size—just so he was of the species his head was worth 
as much as any old patriarch of the hummock. It was his good 
fortune that he came upon, them at the time he did. The sum¬ 
mer was well advanced and the mother would soon have 
weaned them, distributing them in pairs up and down the 
swamp, as has been shown heretofore to be her practice. In 
such event it would have been necessary to hunt them down 
one at a time. The babies are even more difficult to locate than 
the larger ones due to the fact that they can hide so securely 
in such unexpected places. No sooner than she became aware 
that she and her brood had been observed, all of them took 
refuge in the depths of the hole. Having them at bay he could 
take his own time bagging them. His first act was to clear the 
ground of all grass and litter immediately surrounding the 
hole. He provided himself with the necessary weapons, con¬ 
sisting of a club and a bough of pine needles. Running the 
sharp needles of the bough to the depths of the hole he jabbed 
them with the ends of a thousand sharp weapons which they 
could not endure. Scurrying out of the hole to find relief from 
those tormenting needles they were clubbed to death as they 
emerged. His work netted him well—thirty dollars for one 
day’s work for an unskilled laborer was not bad. 

Sad to relate Dame Fortune withdrew her favors from him 
for just this one day—one mistake is enough. On the day of 
which mention is made he had the rattler securely in the bag. 
On his way home he became weary, for the walk was long. 
Depositing his bag near a large fallen pine tree, he sat down 
upon the log for a brief breathing spell. No sooner than seated 
he heard the buzz of one’s rattles and felt the dreadful sting in 
the calf of his leg. His tragic end was not necessarily charge¬ 
able to the hazardous nature of his employment—it might very 
easily have happened to anyone, since the one which fanged 
him was lying coiled by the side of the log upon which he sat 
down—not the one he carried in the bag. 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


143 


Unfortunately, he was alone, and with no one to administer 
£rst-aid he lost control. Hastening on foot to the nearest resi¬ 
dence his heart beat was stepped up and the circulation other¬ 
wise hastened with the result that death overtook him before 
he had covered more than a quarter of a mile. 

A third son of Uncle Dave escaped by a split-second, and as 
a result of the close call would never thereafter return to the 
hunt. The dangerous work entailed in hunting this particular 
one down had been accomplished already. This son, evidently, 
grew careless at the task. He, together with another brother, 
was holding the bag with ungloved hands, while their father 
was lowering the reptile into the sack. As has already been 
mentioned—too often perhaps—craftiness is an attribute which 
should be eternally associated with the rattler, and all serpents, 
as for that. Surely no one should ever underrate the keenness 
with which they sense a situation. The young fellow, of course, 
was unaware that the rattler was eagerly watching his hand 
as he was being lowered into the bag. When he reached the 
level of the hand he had been watching he made a savage side 
thrust. The little pole to which he was tied, being unseasoned 
and consequently quite flexible, yielded to the thrust. The in¬ 
tended victim, being quite alert, observed the treacherous at¬ 
tack and dropped the bag in time to escape the blow. The 
fangs of the diamond-back sank deep into the folds of the bur¬ 
lap bag where the same had been gripped by the boy’s hand a 
split-second before. His hands and whole front were literally 
showered with venom, the presence of which upon his person 
defied all effort to get his mind back on his snake hunting until 
he had returned to his home for a bath and a complete change 
of clothing. 

As the days, weeks and months passed, this narrow escape 
seemed to gather added horror for the young man who escaped 
by such a narrow margin, resulting in his final abandonment of 
the chase. Few, of course, would criticize him for further 
hazarding his life in such a dangerous sport. One must be pos¬ 
sessed of nerves of steel who would continue his membership 
in this “Suicide Squad” once he had heard and actually wit¬ 
nessed one’s determined effort to bury their fangs in the living 
flesh of a companion. 


144 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


They possess, in their brawny, loathsome form, strength 
comparable with that of the right arm of a pugilist. The 
sound of a rattler’s thrust defies imitation. When one is thor¬ 
oughly enraged and almost completely uncoils in a determined 
effort to reach an enemy with his fangs—well, the sound effect 
is such that the reader would rather not hear or remember. 

So, as we review the results of Uncle Dave’s war, which has 
been a truceless one during the last twenty years, we take note 
of the following salient points: One son was lost by reason of 
the bite of a rattler. This, of course, very largely determined 
whether or not there would be war or peace between the Net¬ 
tles clan and the diamond-backs. Another son received an in¬ 
jection of deadly venom which would have killed the average 
person, but maintaining perfect calm in the face of an exciting 
situation, he so thoroughly performed a crude operation, 
thereby removing the venom, that he suffered little physical 
discomfort as a result of the bite. One attack following an¬ 
other finally terminated in war under a black flag. Of course, 
the third son, who came so dangerously near being bitten while 
holding the bag for his father—well, that little incident didn’t 
figure in the declaration of hostilities one way or the other. 
He was fighting in self-defense, consequently justified in mak¬ 
ing the attack, even in sight of the father and other brothers. 
It did teach them one thing, however, and that was that their 
previous practice of holding the bag with bare hands was too 
dangerous to continue in vogue. Thereafter they resorted to 
the use of an oak limb or shrub two or three feet in length. 
By leaving a spur or hook on the end of such limb the sack can 
be held with the aid of the hook, thus permitting them to stand 
a safe distance. Following this attack in which the rattler 
came so near scoring a decision his son entered into a truce 
with them. A fourth son will not admit failing courage, but 
note has been taken of the fact that it is scarcely, if ever, con¬ 
venient for him to go along with the party. When such diplo¬ 
matic excuse as he may render has been heard by the old gen¬ 
tleman and his depleted little army the undaunted members 
pass the “wink” around, and then proceed merrily on their 
way. For a time it had the appearance that Uncle Dave was 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


145 


slowly but surely losing his war. But, observing his firm reso¬ 
lution to yield no ground, he continued in the fray, undis¬ 
mayed. He observed that the ranks of his adversary were 
always replenished—they seemed to spring up like soldiers 
from dragons’ teeth, while the gaps in the ranks of his little 
army are difficult to fill with new recruits. Rattlers, in particu¬ 
lar and all snakes in general, appear to be free from disease. 
They do not believe in race suicide. With families of fifteen 
or more to each wedded couple, they held forth the prospect 
to Uncle Dave of a war which would engage his interest for 
many years to come. His best efforts—and he often assumed 
the role of recruiting officer as well as generalissimo of his 
little suicide army in the field—finally swelled his army to a 
round dozen. Strange as it might sound, he did not want many 
recruits at any one time. He rather preferred to take them on 
one at a time in order that he might thoroughly school them 
in the hazards of the battle before turning them loose on their 
own. While undergoing training for the work before them he 
felt that their very lives were in his hands and such responsi¬ 
bility rested heavily upon him. His seventy-fifth year proved 
to be his best. Those he trained gave him their catch as a mark 
of appreciation of his noble contribution to society, and when 
the season was over and a careful count made they had ac¬ 
counted for fifty-one. A practical test was at the same time 
being carried out in the process, viz: to determine whether or 
not a vast area heavily infested with them might be cleared up 
and made available to hunters, fishermen, picnic parties, and 
in fact all who might (except for the presence of these dread 
creatures) derive a vast amount of enjoyment from their free¬ 
dom in the outdoors. Such experiment was wholly satisfactory 
to himself. If a dozen men could exterminate these dread 
reptiles in an entire county, then all he needed was to enlarge 
his army, thereby driving them to near extinction throughout 
the entire Southern states. 

It was under such circumstances and with such thought in 
mind that the idea of producing this little volume was con¬ 
ceived. By reducing to writing all he had ever learned con¬ 
cerning the ways of the serpent then others could acquire a 


146 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


working knowledge of the art of extermination without expos¬ 
ing themselves to the dangers he had known due to inexperi¬ 
ence. Every person into whose hands one of such volumes 
might fall and whose lands had become heavily infested might 
rid himself of them readily, once having taken the time and 
trouble to acquaint himself with a better knowledge of their 
habits. 

It is a pretty generally known fact that the rattler likes 
rough woodland, shunning timbered lands which have been 
burned over. Due to this fact, land owners burn the dead grass 
and litter off their lands annually, resulting in the loss of mil¬ 
lions of young trees, denuding the soil of much of its available 
plant food, promoting erosion, and otherwise destroying assets 
of incalculable value to themselves, the State and Nation. A 
simpler, and by far more sensible plan, would be to inaugurate 
a campaign of extermination when the rattler has taken refuge 
in his winter quarters. A careful checking has definitely re¬ 
vealed the fact that territory which has been carefully hunted 
during the winter months is free from the pest during the fol¬ 
lowing months of summer, provided, of course, that the job 
has been painstakingly done by men skilled in the art. These 
old wizards of the woodland are, however, thoroughly awake 
to their own interests, and though they have been completely 
exterminated on one large tract of land, and permitted to 
thrive on lands adjacent thereto, they soon discover the fact 
that game is plentiful over on the lands where their kinsmen 
have been exterminated, and when the landowner least expects 
it some Mrs. Rattler will truck her entire family over into 
such promising territory and turn them loose on such land- 
owner, with the result that his land will be completely rein¬ 
fested overnight. 

It is a difficult matter for the average person to understand 
that territory so thickly settled would at the same time prove 
so inviting to these unwelcome tenants. We rather suspect that 
such person has failed to reckon with their intellectual keenness. 
It is indeed perplexing that any creature so universally hated 
and dreaded by practically every living thing could hope or be 
expected to survive under such circumstances. If one can, then 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


147 


let them imagine some hostile, alien race planting themselves 
in the very midst of some thickly settled American community, 
hunting, fishing, multiplying, and in general carrying on all the 
normal activities of primitive people, and with not a living 
person lending a helping hand, neither making any show what¬ 
ever of the slightest sympathy; then some idea can be gained 
of their craftiness in matching wits with such a formidable 
array of forces pitted against them, and defying extermination 
from generation to generation. 

One can seldom engage Uncle Dave in conversation but that 
he has some thrilling experience to relate—an experience relat¬ 
ing to the same enemy, of course. It was on one of those fine 
spring days—one of those spring days calculated to make any 
person rejoice that they are living. The spring sun was bear¬ 
ing down, and a warm southwest wind off the bayous of the 
lower country bordering upon the Gulf of Mexico heralded the 
arrival of real spring. Nothing would do his six boys but that 
they must go out for a long stroll through the wild woodland 
surrounding his modest little shack, and it was not a very diffi¬ 
cult matter to persuade their dad to go along. All sev£n of 
them thought it was a glorious day, and while they were not 
conscious of the fact, their ever-present lurking enemy had 
the same idea about matters. Like so many young goats they 
went running, leaping and screaming through the woodland, 
with the old gentleman following close upon their heels. All of 
a sudden he detected the odor of something he did not like. 
Lifting his face upward as though looking at the sun, and 
sticking his nose into the breeze like an eagle scenting his 
quarry, he took a good “wriff.” Then, with the commanding 
voice of some military man, he commanded all the boys to 
stand still—“Don’t move out’n yer tracks,” he commanded, 
“thar’s a rattlesnake nigh ye, an’ he’ll shore nab one o’ ye if 
ye dare wiggle a toe.” He observed with care the orders he 
had given the boys, at the same time holding the least one by 
the hand while he spent what seemed to him several minutes, 
looking in all directions, peering underneath every leafy bush 
and tuft of grass. Finally he smelled the sickening odor of 
the rattler arising like hot steam from directly underneath his 


148 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


feet. Looking down, he found himself standing astride him, 
which necessitated some quick thinking. He was sure of his 
ability to take care of himself, but how about the small child, 
both of whom were within easy striking distance? Observing 
the mounting temper of the diamond-back he felt confident that 
he would strike like a bolt at the first sudden move, or menac¬ 
ing gesture. Just the same, something had to be done; he could 
not endure this intolerable predicament for always. The young 
chap had not seen the reptile and had not been apprised of 
the fact that they were standing beside him. With eyes fixed 
firmly upon the rattler the old gentleman placed his long, 
brawny arm across the breast of the little fellow, and with a 
sudden thrust threw him a somersault or two backward and 
well beyond the striking distance of the rattler. As for him¬ 
self, he stood motionless, awaiting eventualities. Under all the 
rules the rattler should have struck, but he didn’t. So, with 
perfect calm he got into reverse gear, easing gradually off 
him, observing with care as he did so his display of temper. 
The manner of the child’s delivery was almost as much to be 
dreaded as the menace to which he was exposed. Being a Net¬ 
tles, however, he arose, dusted himself off, and without so 
much as uttering a whimper, evidently feeling that “Pop” knew 
his business and if such rough treatment was the price of his 
delivery from harm, then he was for it. Soon the “all clear” 
signal was given, and the party proceeded each his separate 
way, treating the entire affair as a mere incident growing out 
of their day of pleasure. 

On Thursday, early during the month of July, Uncle Dave 
arose on the bright, sharpened his hack, filled his water jug 
and dinner pail and set out for the woods to finish his chipping 
for the week. Now, the day of the week would not be impor¬ 
tant were it not for the fact that laborers in the turpentine in¬ 
dustry finish chipping their crop of boxes on this day. For 
some reason not clear to those not engaged in this particular 
line of endeavor they prefer to labor diligently from early 
dawn on Monday until dusk on Thursday, if necessary, to the 
end that six days of labor may be crowded into four hard days 
of work, thus allowing them three full days of rest at the end 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


149 


of the week. Their reason may be a purely psychological one, 
but whatever the reason is, it happens to be the particular con¬ 
cern of those performing this arduous labor. After all, it’s job 
work—the men being engaged to chip a crop of 10,000 faces 
for a specified consideration, and it makes little difference to 
his employer if the laborer did the work by bright moonlight, 
provided, of course, that the work was well done. He should 
lose no time if his crop was to be finished before nightfall, con¬ 
sequently he was hastening along down the lane, thinking only 
of the task before him. His meditations were suddenly brought 
to an abrupt end—he was startled by the noise of Pee Wee, his 
little fice dog, running to catch up. It caused him to marvel 
that so small a dog could make that much noise with only 
four tiny feet. The cause of the dog’s delay in starting was 
very simple, once explained—he had been devoting too much 
time and attention to a mellow hambone in the chimney corner, 
and too little to the departure of his master. Acting on one of 
his “hunches”—and he had them frequently—he forbade Pee 
Wee going along on this particular day, although he could 
assign no reason for feeling as he did. So, turning about in his 
tracks, he spake thus to the dog: “Pee Wee, I can’t let you go 
today, so ye might as well trot along back to the house.” The 
faithful little dog lost no time in carrying out the orders of his 
master, though he did look dreadfully dejected as he retraced 
his steps to the house. He seemed to understand everything 
his master ever said to him. Taking a hurried glance back¬ 
ward toward the house he saw his little dog standing upright 
on the inside of the split rail fence surrounding his shack, with 
paws resting upon the fourth rail, peering through the fifth 
crack. Calling back to him, he said, “Wall, come on, dern ye, 
a body can’t deny ye nuthin’, and ye a’standin’ thar with tears 
in yer eyes.” At the spoken leave of his master he came bound¬ 
ing with more speed and enthusiasm than when he first at¬ 
tempted to follow his master. 

All went well during the greater portion of the day. Pee 
Wee was having a great time. He had “treed” more than his 
usual number of “cottontails.” Neither he or any of his pro¬ 
genitors (called fice dogs by the older people) ever barked 


150 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


when trailing rabbits or other game. This gives them a decided 
advantage over the rabbit. Before th£°latter is aware that a 
dangerous enemy is upon his heels he is compelled to flee for 
his life. With ears lying flat upon his back, he goes bounding 
for the first hollow log, tree, or maybe gopher hole available 
to him. Then guarding the doorway, he summons his master 
by barking. 

Pee Wee had been a busy little dog during the forenoon. 
Late in the afternoon his master heard Pee Wee barking vio¬ 
lently. Something seemed to tell the old gentleman that it was 
not a rabbit this time—the intonation of the dog’s bark was 
different. He was sure that he held somethng at bay, though 
there had been no chase as a prelude to his present distressing 
yelping. He would go and see presently, but just now he must 
finish working out a large cluster of trees already partially 
chipped. Just at this instant he heard the little dog utter a 
cry as though some dreadful pain had been inflicted upon him, 
and presently the little dog came running to him from over the 
hill to lie down at his feet whining. Stooping low to look, he 
observed that he had fallen victim to a diamond-back’s fangs, 
so he judged by the wounds upon his forehead. Judging by 
the dog’s reaction to the venom he realized that it would all 
be over with presently, so he would remain with the little 
doggie. Later he would go forth and avenge himself upon the 
perpetrator of this dastardly deed. As the dog lay at the old 
gentleman’s feet, unconscious, and before life had departed, 
he took notice of something he had never before observed. He 
had been told by others that victims of the bite would, after 
lapsing into a state of unconsciousness, writhe somewhat after 
the manner of the reptile. As he stood observing he took note 
of wrinkles forming along the body of the dog, moving in the 
direction of his nose, an imitation of breakers rolling in upon 
a sandy beach. Though not a matter of common knowledge, 
this rather accurately described the behavior of the rattler’s 
skin as he is in motion. Though most snakes travel with a 
wriggling motion, such is not the case with the rattler. He is 
capable of crawling as straight as the flight of the crow, but 
if one will observe with care he will discover that the skin 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


151 


upon his abdomen and sides behaves in very much the same 
manner as that of the dying dog. 

The scales upon the rattler’s abdomen differ greatly from 
the remainder of his covering. They have the appearance of 
knife blades, extending all the way from one side to the other, 
and are designed to give traction. The skin is geared to his 
internal power plant much the same as the metal track of a 
caterpillar tractor is geared to the motor and transmission sys¬ 
tem. The track of the tractor goes all the way over, but such 
principle not being possible with the rattler, a rather ingenious 
principle serves the same purpose. The skin, while he is in 
motion, moves forward and backward, many sectors alternat¬ 
ing as he advances. Some hold to the theory that the skin of 
their underside is attached to the ends of their ribs, and that 
their ribs, when in motion, perform in very much the same 
manner as the oars of a boat’s crew. 

It is worthy of mention in passing that wise old King Solo¬ 
mon lamented the fact that the way of a serpent upon a rock 
puzzled him exceedingly. The best scholars of his day and 
time did not have as adequate facilities for acquiring such 
knowledge as students and observers of the present day. Had 
the X-ray and moving picture cameras and projectors been in 
common use during the era in which he lived, then such mys¬ 
tery would have vanished quickly. 

But the curtains had already been drawn on the first act of 
this little drama—the little doggie was dead—dead as a door 
nail. Now Uncle Dave has his turn with his trusty old shot¬ 
gun—he would go on the warpath himself for a brief season. 
Following the tracks of Pee Wee as he fled from the scene of 
the assault, he was led quickly to the spot. While some dis¬ 
tance still from the locality he had already suspicioned as being 
the scene of the tragedy, he paused briefly to survey his sur¬ 
roundings. Observing a mound of yellow sand in the wire- 
grass, he reflected over the season of the year as well as the 
nature of these creatures—he stood convinced that it was an 
old female guarding her young about this gopher hole. Such 
being their usual place of abode while caring for their young. 
They should have been hatched in May, and would not be 


152 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


weaned until late summer. As likely as not he might bag the 
whole family—the male, he knew, would not be there—he 
would be off some place hunting—doubtless not returning for 
a full month at the time. No gentlman rattler feels it manda¬ 
tory upon himself to conform to man’s code of social and moral 
ethics, neither to observe any of the Ten Commandments. Let 
him take who has the power, and let him hold who can, is the 
only law known to the jungle. No sense in him lying about the 
house making love to her all summer to the neglect of his rabbit 
hunting. From of old he has known of her weakness for 
strong men. He would be serving his own best interests should 
he leave her to the mercy of the world during the whole sum¬ 
mer—leave her to hunt her own rabbits and attend the brats 
to boot. Yes, he would give, hunting his undivided attention 
that he might grow fat, sleek and strong during the summer 
months, the better to defend that which was his with the return 
of mating season in early fall. He had no assurance but that 
some robust home-wrecking sheik might appear at his very 
threshold with the coming of early fall and challenge him to 
defend all rights and title to his wife of yesteryear. Any gen¬ 
tleman rattler who during the summer months suffers the mis¬ 
fortune of losing his mate leads a rather lonely existence for 
a time, but welcomes the thought that early fall will usher in 
another mating season which often resolves itself into a regu¬ 
lar love tournament. No, he has no aversion whatever to an¬ 
other romance—at the proper time he plans going courting, 
and it makes little difference to him whose wife he wins, just 
so he wins one. 

Small rattlers and those of medium build look forward with 
keen delight to the day when they will be strong enough to 
dethrone some old patriarch upon whom accumulated years 
have brought a condition of decrepitude, provided, of course, 
that they have not as yet been able to whistle up a bride of their 
own size. 

All the known physical facts tend to substantiate the theory 
that these small and medium size rattlers have been victims of 
no little “cuffing” about at the hands of these old bullies of the 
hummocks—not because of their women alone, but they as 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


153 


well are “bullied” out of the very best of the feeding ground. 
Small ones do not dare bed down for winter in gopher holes 
for fear that some overgrown bully will come along and, laying 
claim to his quarters, drive him out into the cold. He will 
choose for himself some small hollow log or a cavity in some 
hollow stump. 

It has not escaped notice that these mammoth rattlers are 
found in small colonies, not infrequently three or four bedding 
down upon a single acre of territory. When medium ones are 
found they are never encountered in the immediate proximity 
of the large ones. The giants appear to have a way of survey¬ 
ing the territory, locating the very best hunting and hiber¬ 
nating grounds, staking out their claims, and then warning 
these babies and young bucks off the premises under penalty of 
suffering a severe drubbing. When such conditions are en¬ 
countered by experienced hunters then the missing link in the 
chain of evidence can very easily be supplied—he knows that 
these great reptiles compel the younger generation to respect 
their property rights—and their women. 

But why stand in a trance-like condition longer, musing over 
these things, to the neglect of his mission. He must find this 
old Jezebel—it’s pay-off time. Advancing cautiously toward 
the hole she was the first thing to meet his stare. She had 
remained in the mouth of the hole, feeling that she had no 
other foes to face, having driven the meddlesome little dog 
from the scene with a fatal injection of her venom. She had 
formed no coil, but was partly in and partly out of the hole, 
forming an elongated letter “S” with her body, facing her 
new-found enemy. A heavy load of birdshot caught her amid- 
ship, and, to his surprise, when her side walls were torn open, 
a large pile of little ones was exposed to view—five dead ones 
and seven still uninjured, crawling about freely. 

Now, the writer happened to be more or less familiar with 
the contention of snake experts and took it upon himself to 
review such differences with Uncle Dave. Some insist that 
when little ones are found under such circumstances that they 
are still in the embryo stage. All insist that they do not swallow 
their young, but that the lay observer is simply deceived by 


154 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


the mother rattler. With mouth open, in a fighting posture, 
and with the little ones running hither and yon, the layman, 
being more or less excited, insists that they slithered down her 
throat when, as a matter of fact, they concealed themselves 
in the litter, underneath tufts of grass or under rocks. 

To all of which Uncle Dave retorted: “Wall, them fellers 
jes don’t know no better, I reckon. I’m old enough to know 
one’s stomach from her other organs.” 

With such nonsense disposed of, the venerable old gentle¬ 
man sat down upon a log, took a bite of his plug tobacco, and 
began fingering in a leather pouch he carried suspended from 
his leather belt for his whetstone with which to put a keen 
edge on his hack—it was Thursday, and he must finish his 
chipping before the sun goes down. 

It is also an oft-repeated statement usually circulated by 
those who have never had broad first-hand experience, that a 
rattler has never been known to charge a human being. It Is 
quite evident that such misstatement of fact grew out of what 
is admittedly true concerning his disposition and general habits. 
It is true that he never deliberately goes courting trouble. As 
a matter of fact, he will ofttimes flee from a human being if 
by so doing he has reasonable hopes of making his way into 
bushes, briars, or grass where his chances of making his escape 
are good. Nothing appears to distress him quite so much as 
being caught upon perfectly open ground. He realizes instinc¬ 
tively that such a situation robs him of the benefit of one of his 
greatest endowments—his gift of camouflaging himself, there¬ 
by-concealing his presence from the eyes of his enemies. He 
realizes equally well that if he can reach the shrubs or other 
undergrowth where there is an accumulation of dead leaves, 
grass and straw, that his chances of escape instantly change 
from about ten to one against him to the same ratio in his 
favor. We have been witness to them breaking out of their 
coil and running with the speed of a black racer to gain the 
briar patch. Such behavior should not be mistaken for cow¬ 
ardice. If anyone should, either through ignorance of his dead¬ 
liness, or sheer recklessness, pursue-him too hotly he would 
surely turn upon him and attack with the ferocity of a demon. 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


155 


There is a definite challenge even in the retreat of a diamond- 
back, but when one is charging, with head reared high and 
rattles giving off that blood-chilling whir—well, the wicked 
and the righteous flee together. 

The writer enjoys personal acquaintance with three repu¬ 
table gentlemen who have been forced to run for their lives, 
and are by no means ashamed to publicly acknowledge the 
fact. The gentleman whose thrilling encounter we are about 
to relate was no weakling, weighing about two hundred and 
twenty-five pounds, neither was he lacking in personal courage. 
The diamond-back which drove him from the woods was a 
superb specimen. His presence in the community had been 
known for years because of the large trail frequently seen. He 
had even been met with by many persons, but none had the 
courage to attack because of the size and menacing attitude of 
the brute. Efforts had been made to locate his place of hiber¬ 
nation, but without success. His wisdom seemed to have kept 
pace with his lengthening span of life, so notwithstanding the 
determination of his human neighbors to effect his destruction, 
he persisted in parading up and down the earth, seeking what¬ 
soever he might devour. 

The gentleman whom fate had booked for an encounter 
with this old bully of the hummockland was riding his horse 
through the moss-draped oaks near the river when his horse 
shied from something, blowing as he sidestepped a bit. Look¬ 
ing upon the ground he saw a great snake upon a dense cover¬ 
ing of wiregrass. When this grass has not been burned for 
several years it attains a depth of a foot or so, and was so soft 
and spongy that the reptile was experiencing some difficulty 
in getting the necessary traction to push himself along. To 
overcome such disadvantage he was lunging forward and buck¬ 
ling or forming his body into arches as he lunged, thus over¬ 
coming his lack of traction. He could not at first believe that 
he was a diamond-back. He had lived for years in infested 
territory but had never seen anything like him. He insists, 
even though admitting that he was decidedly excited during 
the battle, that he was not less than seventeen or eighteen 
inches in circumference. . Others who saw him on other occa- 


156 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


sions concurring, his figures must have been conservative. The 
thought at first occurred to him that he must belong to a species 
not native to the territory in which he was found—perhaps 
had escaped from some traveling circus. But no, he was a 
rattler. By this time he was singing his rattles gently as he 
continued crawling, endeavoring to avoid possible unpleasant¬ 
ness with the horseman. Making his way slowly toward a 
small liveoak tree with low-hanging limbs, he crawled under¬ 
neath it to await eventualities. The rider, being confident of 
his prowess, dismounted and cut himself a long pine sapling 
with intentions of breaking his back at the first blow, thus ren¬ 
dering him helpless. Due to the low-hanging limbs of the tree 
he did not deliver the fatal blow as hoped for. While striking 
him a terrific blow, it did not hit a vital spot, but on the con¬ 
trary served to thoroughly enrage the old rascal. With one 
mighty lunge he attained his full height—leaping straight up¬ 
ward, parallel with the body of the tree. At the same instant 
came the most blood-chilling whir-r-r-r from his rattles that 
he had ever heard. It seemed that the very leaves of the tree 
and blades of grass quivered from the effect of the piercing 
note. He had not anticipated the situation he had created—he 
had never seen a rattler behave in the manner of the one 
before him. The scene was suddenly transformed into some¬ 
thing he lacked the courage to look upon. He instinctively 
sought shelter behind a large nearby pine tree, risking one eye 
at him, so to speak. His assailant having disappeared from 
view, the rattler reared his ugly head to a height of fully four 
feet, standing upon the flattened portion of his tail, and com¬ 
menced circling around underneath the tree, looking every¬ 
where. His horror-inspiring form and his savage, flashing 
eyes were too forbidding to look upon. His eyes, however, were 
an unerring index to the fury raging within him. In ever- 
widening circles he moved, looking and listening for the man 
who smote him. His assailant, who had been standing behind 
a tree observing him with one eye that he might keep check on 
his movements, had concluded by this time that since he was 
about clear of the limbs of the tree, his chances were improved 
for carrying out his original design. He took note of the fact 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


157 


just at this time that his fury appeared to be subsiding, so 
allowed him a little more time in which to become his former 
self. His judgment was vindicated, or apparently so, inasmuch 
as the sound of his rattles was again descending the scale to a 
lower pitch, while at the same time he commenced lowering 
his head and body to the ground, slowly retreating from the 
scene. Just then his enemy since Eden days stepped into the 
open to recover his weapon. At the very sight of him his fury 
seemed to surpass his initial show of temper. He “about- 
faced.” His whirring rattles again ascended the scale. He 
began moving back and rorth, assuming the most menacing 
posture, facing his antagonist all the while as he stood almost 
to the full limit of his length. After the manner of Goliath 
before the camp of Israel, he challenged this horseman to 
come forth to battle. This particular observer gave the writer 
a graphic picture of this old patriarch of the hummock which 
left no doubt in our mind that he had been an actual eyewitness 
to the thing described. 

His testimony corroborated that of other laymen on two 
or three interesting points insisted upon by the latter but 
denied by scientists. He endeavored to describe a peculiar 
flickering beam emanating from his eyes, but for want of a 
sufficient vocabulary, was not fully satisfied with his own de¬ 
scription. He described it as somewhat resembling a cat’s eyes 
illuminated by the headlights of an automobile, but flickering 
rather than giving off a steady glow. According to this ob¬ 
server such a countenance, and particularly such eyes, were 
difficult to look upon. This particular detail of such observa¬ 
tion is deemed important. The only other instances of which 
we have ever learned comparing with this observation hap¬ 
pened in broad daylight and therefore might easily be ex¬ 
plained as reflected sunlight, but on this occasion the sun had 
already set behind this vast, dense forest, with not a ray of 
light falling upon the scene. This being true, we feel more 
than justified in the presumption that such light was of his 
own creation and might some day be revealed as the source of 
his uncanny power to kill with his eyes. The horseman was 
fearful of such power and avoided meeting his stare squarely. 


158 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


It might as well be admitted that the first round belonged 
strictly to the rattler. The horseman had hoped to administer 
a paralyzing blow at the first, and then administer the coup-de¬ 
grace at leisure, but his plans went wrong. Instead of inflict¬ 
ing a very damaging blow the stroke.had merely served to 
transform him into a demon filled with fury and venom. The 
rattler was too confident of his own prowess to lie down and 
be killed merely to oblige his ancient enemy, man. When he 
advanced upon him the second time he found him alert and 
fully awake to the danger threatening him. The horseman 
was wholly unprepared for what happened this time. No one 
had ever warned him of such danger. All he had ever read 
from the pens of snake experts gave assurance that a rattler 
would not charge a human being. Such blunder was excusable 
inasmuch as such assurances had been universally accepted as 
being true. The rattler lunged forward, changed ends, and 
then struck double length over his tail, thus advancing four 
full lengths in as little time as would be required to count the 
strokes. Our informant had no time for anything save deliv¬ 
ering himself, if possible, from the dreadful blow he felt for 
in his back as he wheeled in his tracks and speedily retreated 
to a place of safety. With this experience he concluded defi¬ 
nitely that this was not a one-man job. Untying his horse, 
which had been hitched a safe distance from the scene of the 
battle, he rode away for home. Taking a backward look over 
his shoulder he witnessed, with considerable humiliation, the 
head of his victorious adversary reared high, just to make sure 
that this meddlesome horseman did not change his mind and 
return to the encounter. 

It has already been stated that a wholly erroneous opinion 
is universally current to the effect that a rattler is either in¬ 
disposed to do so or is wholly incapable of staging a furious 
assault. Those disposed to cling to such beliefs would do well 
to keep the experience of this horseman in mind. Diamond- 
backs of the type described do not obligate themselves to em¬ 
ploy merely the tactics of the younger and less experienced 
generation. They become ill-tempered and by far wiser with 
each passing year. We have read times without number that 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


159 


they would not strike out of their coil, neither strike higher 
than the knee, and would not under any circumstances abandon 
their coil and charge a human being. While such reports, gen¬ 
erally speaking, are true, it might at any time lead one into 
the most grievous error should they trust too much to these 
general observations. Much depends on the size, age, the in¬ 
dividual rattler’s temperament and the degree to which he 
has been provoked. Among rattlers, as among men, there is 
a varying degree of decency. Some are so even tempered and 
slow to anger that they could be picked up with ungloved 
hands, while others would not make fit companions for assas¬ 
sins. The above incident occurred during the mating season, 
which is decidedly the most dangerous time of the year in 
which to expose oneself in infested territory. 

The horseman who encountered the savage resistance at the 
hands of the giant rattler related that on his return home he 
suffered from nausea and general nervousness and could not 
sleep during any portion of the night following the incident. 
Such condition was attributed by him to the objectionable odor 
exuded by the rattler while so enraged. Some hold to the 
opinion, and they are not wholly without evidence to sustain 
them, that the musky odor of the rattler possesses the peculiar 
quality of stupefying their prey, thus precluding the possibility 
of too much resistance to their attempt at fascination. Such 
musk will sicken human beings, producing a very painful head¬ 
ache, and otherwise generally upset those exposed to it, but 
the writer has never learned of a human being rendered un¬ 
conscious by reason of it. 

Those capable of instantly distinguishing the odor of the 
rattler often take notice of it in swamp regions and in other 
quiet localities where the chances of him having been disturbed 
is rather remote. This would appear to lend credence to the 
contention that they frequently utilize their musk for the pur¬ 
pose of stupefying their prey, thereby taking much of the fight 
out of him. Regardless, men who have hunted these creatures 
for any length of time will tell anyone that whatever trick is 
required, the rattler usually has it. In short, he is master of 
many arts. Like the elephant, they appear never to forget any- 


160 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


thing, or any human being with whom they ever had any un¬ 
pleasantness, growing wiser as the years go by. 

A venerable old gentleman once related an incident which 
I at the time doubted very seriously but which has since been 
rendered perfectly understandable viewed in the light of this 
horseman’s experience. He held one at bay, armed with a 
ten-foot pole. Before striking the reptile he had occasion to 
turn his head for an instant, and as he did the rattler’s body 
passed his face like a shadow. Had the blow been more 
accurately aimed, he would have fastened his fangs in the old 
gentleman’s face or breast. 

The above is fully corroborated by other witnesses, all of 
them well known to me. One was riding a horse through rough 
woodland when one struck him upon the upper part of knee- 
high leather boots. 

Under similar circumstances, another friend had one strike 
at the nose of his horse. This stroke was a complete miss, due 
to the fact that the horse was too alert. Missing the object of 
his wrath, the rattler landed on the other side of the settle¬ 
ment road the horseman was following. According to this ob¬ 
server’s statement, the reptile must have leaped clear of the 
ground and for a distance of at least eight feet. 

A member of our hunting party once had a close call when 
one leaped three feet straight up out of its coil. It happened 
in this way: Fresh sign had been seen about a hole he was 
using for a den. Before kneeling down for a better look into 
the depths of the hole, he took the usual precaution of jabbing 
here and there for some distance, just to be sure that he had 
not concealed himself beneath the deep growth of wiregrass 
about the hole. The answer was that he had. When the point 
of the shovel landed squarely upon his coil he leaped almost 
his full length into the air, mouth wide open, fangs unsheathed 
—a deadly menace to those nearby. All members of the party 
fell backwards, or in opposite directions from the reptile, be¬ 
having as they would had a bomb exploded in the midst of 
them. All members in the party had hunted the diamond-back 
for many years, had passed through every danger to which one 
might expect to become exposed, and their nerves were so 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


161 


steeled that under such circumstances they instinctively did the 
right thing without taking time out to think—their reflexes 
took care of them, as it were. This incident should be a lesson 
to all who would like to engage in this thrilling pastime. Not 
even a veteran hunter should ever get in a hurry on a spot 
where he senses danger. Fang-proof boots would not have, 
under such circumstances, availed him anything. The stroke, 
had it not been a miss, would have landed upon the body of 
some member of the party. 

There is one safe rule, or pretty nearly so, by which those 
hunting such a deadly foe should be governed, and that is, 
never step on one. During their period of hibernation they act 
very much as though they had been given a “shot in the arm”— 
they want peace and rest above all things. It is fairly safe to 
brush past one, or to step over and beyond him, but woe unto 
him who steps squarely upon him. This can be avoided if 
hunters will remember to step only where they can see the 
ground clearly, or either comb the grass and litter with ex¬ 
treme care before advancing. One might brush past him times 
without number and suffer no harm. Under such tenseness, if 
the hunter should hear a sudden, violent whir of one’s rattles, 
remember one thing^jump as quickly as you can and as far as 
you can. You can apologize to your friend for knocking him 
down later. 

It was on another occasion, but the same rattler which chal¬ 
lenged the horseman which managed to get his personal affairs 
rather w T ell fouled up with his hostile human neighbors. He 
was loitering about a huckleberry flat beside the river await¬ 
ing the arrival of some hungry bird. To his complete surprise 
a large truck unloaded a full dozen berry pickers almost upon 
him. They came into the flat so unexpectedly, and unloaded 
so quickly, that they almost had him surrounded before he 
could conjure up any plan for extricating himself from this 
human trap into which he had fallen. When they began closing 
in upon him he realized that something must be done quickly. 
Without further loss of time he reared up out of his coil, sing¬ 
ing his rattles defiantly as he commenced advancing upon those 
blocking his chosen course to the nearest underbrush. It had 


162 


CREATURES OP MYSTERY 


the appearance that he.so planned and timed his attack as to 
completely confuse and frighten the entire party. Taking full 
advantage .of such confusion, he was able to make good his 
escape before they could plan and execute any counter move 
designed to offset his. He never slackened his pace until he 
was safe in the underbrush of the river swamp. It cannot be 
truthfully said that he made any attack upon any of them— 
they were simply in his way, and he was serving notice on all 
and sundry that he was coming through, come Hitler, or high 
water, and that some dreadful “accident” might befall any 
member of the party electing to challenge his right of thor¬ 
oughfare. 

One of the most interesting bits of information the writer 
ever gathered since he took it upon himself to pry into the 
private life of the diamond-back, came to us through Uncle 
Dave. It happened within the circle of his own close personal 
friends, and he is perfectly willing to vouch for their testimony. 
It differs from all others in that a human being was hypnotized 
into a state of insensibility, later to be revived and relate the 
whole experience in detail. Unfortunately, where dumb ani¬ 
mals are the victims, what they experience and suffer is lost 
to the world. 

The victim of this terrifying experience was a lady. She 
had accompanied her husband to the field to assist in some light 
farm work. In the fencerow bordering the cultivated plot of 
ground they found a diamond-back. The creature instantly 
coiled and offered fight to anyone who might challenge. Being 
without any form of weapon, and the distance back to his home 
not being great, he left his wife to prevent the escape of the 
reptile while he hastened off for his gun. Little thinking what 
great dangers might grow out of his hasty instructions, he 
cautioned her not to take her eyes off him for one minute. 
Now, if the rattler could have had his one wish then it would 
have been just that. Other circumstances being what they were, 
this prepared him for the accomplishment of his fiendish task 
—the lady was soon to be delivered, consequently was not 
strong, either physically or mentally. The point has already 
been made that they are at their best when dealing with 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


163 


prey less persistent than themselves, such as birds, rats, rab¬ 
bits, squirrels, etc. With the intelligent dog, or with a strictly 
normal adult human being, they have no chance whatever. It 
might be added that human hypnotists experience greater diffi¬ 
culty with persons of strong minds and wills than with those 
of the opposite type. It played to his hand that she observed 
with care the husband’s instructions not to take her eyes off 
him. 

Returning in haste with his gun, the husband witnessed the 
almost unbearable spectacle of seeing his wife swoon and fall 
upon the exact spot, as he thought, where the rattler was 
coiled. His distress was somewhat relieved on reaching the 
spot as he learned that while his wife was unconscious she was 
otherwise unharmed—she had not quite fallen upon the rep¬ 
tile, still she was within striking distance of him, which pre¬ 
sented a pressing problem of very grave concern to him. How 
was he to remove her from the scene without inviting a sudden 
thrust? Under the stress of such an exacting situation, he 
managed to exercise surprising judgment. At close range, and 
with unerring aim, the load of birdshot carried the head away 
completely, rolling the body a safe distance from his uncon¬ 
scious wife. 

When this lady had completely recovered from this dreadful 
ordeal, she told an amazing story—a story which may serve 
to clear up the queer behavior of small animals when similarly 
exposed to the wiles of the serpent. When the lady had again 
become normal, she reviewed her experiences—telling how, 
after listening some time to the whir-r-r-r of his rattles, her 
hearing became confused. It seemed, she said, that there were 
rattlers everywhere. No matter which way she turned, the 
sound of his rattles was directly in front of her—first to the 
left, then to the right, as well as to her back. When she had 
looked upon him for several minutes her eyes next became con¬ 
fused in like manner as her ears. When she turned from him 
he reappeared in front of her, no matter in which direction she 
turned. Then, looking again upon the spot where all her other 
senses told her he was, he was wholly invisible. 

We have related briefly the substance of the lady’s account 


164 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


of what she experienced. The above were her last recollections. 
She felt faint, and when consciousness returned to her she was 
in her husband’s arms. She was illiterate, but very pious, hav¬ 
ing a sacred regard for the truth. Her story of just what hap¬ 
pened to her therefore deserves very serious consideration. 
Being illiterate, she could not possibly know that her obser¬ 
vations would ever be of any scientific value. She merely 
related the simple story of her dreadful ordeal. 

Some phases of her experience are well worth pondering. 
Almost everyone knows that the human ear cannot long endure 
the note of the diamond-back’s rattles. Many can testify to 
the truth of her statements in regard to this particular point. 

The other statements made by her as to her experiences are 
likewise true; but only a few persons have ever had just such 
an experience, and none of these have ever been able to offer 
any plausible explanation for such seeming impossible occur¬ 
rence. Anyone familiar with the simple principle of optics will 
readily agree that if you look intently upon any image posses¬ 
sing clear and distinctly marked outlines (for instance, the 
geometrical designs, in orange, upon a dull olive background, 
and other gay and contrasting decorations) the image becomes 
well imprinted upon the retina of the eye, and will reappear 
from time to time as the eye is blinked. We regard this as an 
accepted fact and therefore pass on. 

The following incident which received some mention in the 
press came to the attention of the writer, and is worthy of 
mention in this connection. The principle involved is very 
definitely related to that under discussion. It had to do with 
the operator of a large bus. The driver, suddenly and appar¬ 
ently without cause, swerved sharply, left the highway em¬ 
bankment, and injured some of the passengers. 

During the course of the investigation which followed, he 
testified that he suddenly saw a small child on the highway, 
directly in front of the bus. Knowing that his brakes would 
not bring his vehicle to a standstill in time to save the life of 
the child, he followed the only course left open to him. Such 
statement, made in all sincerity, availed him nothing. None 
of the passengers aboard saw any child, neither did any of the 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


165 


pedestrians who chanced to view the accident. Those holding 
his fate in their hands agreed among themselves that it was 
an “hallucination.” 

A similar occurrence once came within our experience, 
though no harm came of it. On a straight and lonely stretch 
of highway we met a great transcontinental bus. Under such 
circumstances one will instinctively keep their eyes open and 
on guard until the danger is past. The sun was to our back, 
thus giving the front part of the bus 100 per cent illumination. 
Passing the bus safely, we breathed a sigh of relief, seeing 
that we had passed each other without mishap. Looking 
straight down the highway, and again blinking our eyes, we 
were amused to see a “ghost bus,” in the tracks of the real 
one. Now there exists little doubt in our minds but that the 
bus operator in question had a similar experience. It is by no 
means impossible that the true cause of the accident was a 
lingering image upon the retina of the eye. Had he been 
familiar with the principle involved, and had he been suffi¬ 
ciently alert to recognize it as the image of a child he had 
looked upon, possibly a mile or two back down the highway, 
then no accident would have resulted. 

There is just one point in the testimony of the lady pre¬ 
viously referred to which is left open to dispute, or seemingly 
so. Just why was it, if true, that when she looked back upon 
the coiled form of the rattler, the lingering image of the rep¬ 
tile was expunged from the retina of the eye, for a brief in¬ 
stant, giving the false impression that the ground upon which 
he was actually coiled was wholly free from his menacing 
form? This part of her testimony is, seemingly, out of line 
with what is known concerning the principle governing such 
matters. Inasmuch as she happens to be the only person of 
whom we ever heard who lived through such an ordeal, the 
writer would be the last person to deny that what she related 
actually happened, or thus appeared. 

Does the behavior of small animals under the same trying 
circumstances tend to shed any light upon the subject? If they 
could but speak up it might be possible, with the aid of their 
testimony, to clear the entire matter of all the mystery with 


166 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


which it is entangled. Since they are dumb, then let us con¬ 
sider their actions. 

Many instances already related involving rabbits, squirrels, 
etc., would seem to bear out the testimony of the lady in ques¬ 
tion. During the early stages of the hypnotic attempt of the 
serpent, and before the subject finally succumbs to his power, 
the animal races about aimlessly, completely “boxing the com¬ 
pass,” but finally returning to their tormentor, ending in a 
stupor, with their nose almost touching that of the reptile. 
How else can we account for such behavior? Having once 
looked hard and long at the rattler with his varied array of 
colors, does not his body appear to be everywhere except where 
it really is, as in the case of the lady, and do they not return to 
the serpent for the reason that it appears to be their only 
avenue of escape? Surely all the beasts of the field and birds 
of the air recognize him at sight and dread him worse than 
any other creature encountered about their native haunts! 
With the above expressed thoughts, we abandon such theory 
to the mercy of each individual reader, leaving them to form 
their own conclusions. 


FOLLOWING THE TRAIL OF THE SERPENT 

Returning again to the thought so well expressed in Gen. 
3 •!» we are prone to inquire further, or to ask, “Whence comes 
the serpent’s reputation for cunning, subtlety and wisdom?” A 
number of factors determine the answer to this question. 

The serpent, instinctively conscious of the enmity of man¬ 
kind, is stealthy and secretive, sparing no pains to conceal his 
presence from man on all occasions, hiding behind rocks, con¬ 
cealing himself in the grass, and ofttimes invoking his inherent 
knowledge of the art of camouflage, utilizing dead grass, twigs, 
leaves, rotten wood, etc., with which his natural color and 
markings blend perfectly, to the end that man may pass him 
by unnoticed. When discovered, his appearance invariably 
causes surprise, horror, fear, and a desire to destroy. Al¬ 
though but a few out of the many species of serpents are 
poisonous, in the popular mind all are regarded as deadly and 
are avoided or killed at sight. 

The very form of the serpent and its method of locomotion, 
both of which it shares with the worm, are repulsive to the 
human mind, hence overcoming the effect of the actual beauty 
of the bodily markings of a number of species. Scripture de¬ 
clares that the serpent was instrumental in the fall of man, 
hence his traditional enemy. 

But the predominant factor in man’s antipathy to the ser¬ 
pent is its power of fascination, which links it closely to the 
art of hypnotism. This power is exerted occasionally upon 
small animals and birds for the purpose of securing food, and 
is aided by the rhythmic movement and symmetrical markings 
of the body; the forked, darting tongue; the piercing eyes 
from which a fixed and baleful influence radiates; and in case 
of the rattlesnake, at least, a characteristic odor. The few 
who have ever taken notice of such odor exhaust their mental 
resources in a vain effort to link it with something with which 
the average person is familiar. By different persons the odor 
has been associated with that of a he goat, skunk, wet dog, 
garlic, or possibly an angry house cat. If it is in order for the 


167 


168 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


writer to express an opinion, we would agree with those who 
compare the odor to a wet dog. Like his wailing cry when 
calling to his mate, it is all but impossible to describe, or in 
the case of their mating call, to imitate. 

To the effect of the rattler’s odor must be added that of his 
rattles, which brings influence to bear upon still another of the 
senses. This sound excites the curiosity of the rabbit, squirrel, 
bird, or other small animal and brings it within range of the 
snake’s hypnotic spell. 

The scientific world will surely discredit the statement, yet 
there is sufficient evidence to show that the rattlesnake hypno¬ 
tizes its prey so completely that it is within his absolute control. 

The author of this little volume deliberately concluded the 
investigation of this subject in the field before attempting to 
look into the recorded observations of others. As already 
stated, such procedure was deliberate—that we might see for 
ourselves how nearly our own observations, and the observa¬ 
tions of a multitude of lay observers we know, coincided with 
the recorded observations of those who have gone before. 
Many of the volumes perused while in quest of the truth were 
found to be yellow with age, as well as being covered with the 
accumulated dust of decades. That the reader may arrive at a 
fair and impartial conclusion, we quote below from the pens of 
others: 

From John B. Newton, author of “Fascination, or the 
Philosophy of Charming,’’ published in 1888, we quote: 

“A gentleman himself told me that while traveling one day, 
by the side of a creek, he saw a ground-squirrel running to and 
fro between the creek and a great tree a few yards distant. 
The squirrel’s hair looked very rough, which showed that he 
was much frightened; and his return being shorter and shorter, 
my friend stood to observe the cause, and soon discovered the 
head and neck of a rattlesnake pointing directly at the squirrel 
through a hole of the great tree, which was hollow. The 
squirrel at length gave over running, and laid himself quietly 
down, with his head close to the snake’s. The snake then 
opened his mouth wide and took in the squirrel’s head, when 
a cut of the whip across his neck caused him to draw in his 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


169 


head, which action released the squirrel, who quickly ran into 
the creek.” 

Similar incidents are cited by the same author: “Dr. Good 
mentions the curious fascinating power the rattlesnake in par¬ 
ticular has over various small animals and birds, such as squir¬ 
rels and leverets which, incapable of turning their own eyes 
from those of the serpent enchanter, and overpowered with 
terror and amazement, seem to struggle to get away, and yet 
progressively approach him, as though urged forward or at¬ 
tracted by a superior power to that of natural instinct, till at 
length they enter into the serpent’s mouth, which had all along 
been opened to receive them, and are instantly devoured.” 

Dr. Barrow, in his “Travels Into the Interior of South 
America,” asserted this to be a fact regarding the various kinds 
of larger snakes, and Vaillant, in his “Travels Into Africa,” 
affirms that at a place called Swortland, beholding a shrike in 
the very act of fascination by a large serpent at a distance, the 
fiery eyes and open mouth of which it was gradually approach¬ 
ing, with convulsive tremblings, and the most pitiful shrieks of 
distress. He shot the serpent before the bird reached it; still, 
however, the bird did not fly, and on taking it up it was already 
dead, being killed either by fear or by the fascinating influence 
of the serpent, although upon measuring the ground, he found 
the space between them to be no less than three feet and a half. 
There is a case, much in point, inserted in one of the early 
volumes of the “Philosophical Transactions,” which states 
that a mouse, put by way of experiment into a cage in which a 
female viper was confined, appeared at first greatly agitated, 
and was afterwards seen to draw near to the viper gradually, 
which remained motionless, but with fixed eyes and distended 
mouth, and at length entered into the viper’s jaws and was 
devoured.” 

M. Oldfield Howey, in “The Encircled Serpent,” has this to 
say: “In the case of small animals and birds, the alleged power 
of attraction which the serpent possesses over them seems to 
be fairly attested by modern observers, who assert that the 
bird or animal which has fallen under the reptile’s spell not 
only does not attempt to escape, but will eventually draw closer 


170 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


to the snake, crying or moaning piteously while it does so, but 
apparently unable to control its movements once the serpent’s 
eye has been fastened upon it. But should anyone pass between 
the reptile and its victim so as even momentarily to obscure the 
vision, the spell is broken and the bird or animal can escape. 
It has been noticed that the serpent is generally coiled when 
exercising its power of attraction, so possibly this position, in 
some way, increases the magnetic force.” 

The author continues: “Catesby, writing in 1771, describ¬ 
ing the rattlesnake, cautiously says: “The charming, or at¬ 
tractive power which this snake is said to have of drawing to 
it animals and devouring them, is generally believed in Amer¬ 
ica ; as for my own part, I never saw the action, but a great 
many from whom I have had it related all agree in the manner 
of the process, which is that animals, particularly birds and 
squirrels (which particularly are their prey), no sooner spy 
the snake than they skip from spray to spray, hovering and 
approaching gradually nearer to their enemy, regardless of 
any other danger; but with distracted gestures and outcries, 
descend even from the top of the loftiest trees, to the mouth of 
the snake, who openeth his mouth, takes them in, and in an in¬ 
stant swallows them.” 

Similar account is given by Catesby’s contemporary, the 
naturalist Goldsmith, who, without committing himself, avers, 
“It is said by some that a rattlesnake has a power of charming 
its prey into its mouth; and that is as strongly contradicted by 
others. The inhabitants of Pennsylvania are said to have op¬ 
portunities of observing this strange fascination every day. The 
snake is often seen basking at the foot of a tree, where birds 
and squirrels make their residence. There, coiled upon its tail, 
its jaws extended, and its eyes shining like fire, the rattlesnake 
levels its dreadful glare upon one of the little animals above. 
The bird, or squirrel, whichever it may be, too plainly per¬ 
ceives the mischief militating against it, and hops from branch 
to branch, with a timorous plaintive sound, wishing to avoid, 
yet incapable of breaking through the fascination; thus it con¬ 
tinues for some time its feeble efforts and complaints, but is still 
seen approaching lower and lower toward the bottom branches 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


171 


of the tree, until at last, as if overcome by the potency of its 
fears, it jumps down from the tree directly into the throat of 
its frightful destroyer.” 

Quoting further from “The Encircling Serpent” by Howey, 
we find: “In South Africa in a serpent known as the booms, 
which has large eyes and a habit of partially coiling its body 
around the branch of a tree, and with its head erect and mouth 
open. If a flight of small birds discover the reptile, they fly 
around it, uttering wild cries till one, more terror-stricken 
than the rest, goes straight into the serpent’s jaws.” 

“Dr. Bird has given an interesting account of the fascina¬ 
tion of a human being by a serpent. Two lads out for a walk 
came upon a large black snake, and one of them wished to see 
if the reptile could fascinate him. He approached within a 
few yards of the snake which raised its head, when ‘something 
seemed to flash from its eyes like the rays of the light thrown 
off by a mirror exposed to the sunlight’. The boy afterwards 
told how, in a moment, all his thoughts were confused, and he 
fancied himself in a whirlpool, every turn of which drew him 
nearer to the center. All the time he was approaching the 
snake, but his companion, realizing the danger, rushed forward 
and killed the snake. 

“Mr. J. Herbert Slater, in a recent work described how a 
traveler, Mr. Lange, when exploring the regions of the upper 
Amazon, was told of immense serpents with a power of fas¬ 
cination which drew their victims into their grasp. Mr. Lange 
was extremely skeptical of these tales until the case of a rubber 
worker named Jose Pereira was brought to his notice. He in¬ 
vestigated this and found that the facts were as follows: 
Pereira was in his canoe, paddling downstream, when he heard 
a sound that he thought was made by some animal; and run¬ 
ning his boat aground he got his rifle ready to shoot, but seeing 
nothing continued downstream. Still the noise was audible, 
but he could see nothing to account for it. Presently, feeling 
uneasy and afraid, he returned and sat down upon the root of 
a tree, but soon found himself quite unable to stir. Luckily 
three workers from headquarters just then came down the 
river and, hearing the sound as of someone in distress, they 


172 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


first shouted and finally landed. They found Pereira in a state 
of collapse, and under the root upon which he sat, appeared 
the head of an enormous boa-constrictor, its eyes fastened 
upon the poor man. They fired at it, and the spell was broken. 
The serpent was found to be 52 feet long and 28 inches thick. 
Mr. Lange vouched for the truth of this tale, which is espe¬ 
cially interesting because the victim was actually unconscious 
of the presence of the serpent.” 

John Newman, M.D., refers to a paper by Major A. Gor¬ 
don, of South Carolina, in which he attributes the fascinating 
power supposed to be possessed by serpents to a vapor which 
they secrete, and can throw around them to a certain distance 
at pleasure. He advances various facts to support his opinion, 
and observes that the vapor produces sickening and stupefying 
effects; and alludes to a negro who, from a peculiar acuteness 
of smell, could discover a rattlesnake at a distance of two 
hundred feet, and who, on following such indications, always 
found some animal drawn within its vortex and struggling 
with its influence. 

This author cites the instance of a man walking in his garden 
who accidentally saw a snake in the bushes and, observing the 
eyes gleaming in a peculiar manner, watched it closely, but 
soon found himself unable to draw his own eyes off. The snake, 
it appeared to him, soon began to increase immensely in size, 
and assume in rapid succession a mixture of brilliant colors. 
He grew dizzy, and would have fallen in the direction of the 
snake to which he felt himself irresistibly impelled, had not 
his wife come up and, throwing her arms around him, dis¬ 
pelled the charm. 

Cases of a similar nature might be multiplied indefinitely, 
but practically everyone who has lived in a snake-infested 
country has either personally observed the fascinating power of 
serpents or learned of it through the reports of others. 

It is important to notice, however, that in the case of human 
beings, it is only exceptional cases that seem to be amenable to 
the power of fascination. Most persons not only are capable 
of resisting the influence, but many are able themselves to 
exert a power which disarms the fury of the most enraged or 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


173 


vicious animals. This, says Dr. Newman, is particularly seen 
in the case of watchdogs, over whom burglars have found the 
secret of exercising so seductive and quieting an influence as 
to keep them in silence while the robbery is being committed. 
Lindcrantz, of Sweden, tells us that the natives of Lapland 
are in possession of this secret generally, inasmuch as they can 
instantly disarm the most ferocious dog, and oblige him to fly 
from them with every sign of fear. 

Although the serpent’s power of fascination is usually at¬ 
tributed to the eyes, the swiftly darting tongue, and, in the 
case of the rattlesnake, the sound of the rattles, an additional 
factor, in the latter instance, may be the symmetrical markings 
on the back of the snake. Coiled amidst dead grass and leaves, 
the body of the snake is concealed, but these brightly colored 
designs remain in view, brought out in full relief against the 
dull brown skin. The bright color and the geometrical pat¬ 
terns probably play no unimportant part in exerting the stupe¬ 
fying effect that ends in complete submission to the serpent’s 
deadly charm. 

It is a well-known psychological fact that the eye becomes 
intensely strained and wearied by continued gazing at regular 
or fantastic geometrical designs, and if persisted in, the brain 
itself becomes affected, even to the point where the reason 
becomes unbalanced. Everyone is familiar with the drawings 
of cubes, with their angles projecting toward the spectator, 
but at another instant seems to reverse and show hollow boxes 
with their angles pointing inward. A similar effect is produced 
by spiral diagrams, which apparently begin to spin rapidly 
on their axes if the sheet on which they are printed is given 
a slow rotary motion. 

The possibility of inflicting mental torture and ultimately 
causing insanity through the employment of these objects, per¬ 
haps assisted by glaring lights and monotonous sounds, has not 
escaped man’s cruel inventive genius. Edgar Allan Poe writes 
an imaginary account of the deadly fascination of a swinging 
pendulum and gradually narrowing space upon the mind of a 
prisoner who was thus subjected to mental torture during the 
Spanish Inquisition, in his story called “The Pit and the Pen- 


174 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


dulum.” Yet, examination of torture cells uncovered in Bar¬ 
celona after General Franco’s victory during the recent civil 
war in Spain proved that these refinements of torture existed 
in actual fact. 

These communist torturers, with diabolical ingenuity, dis¬ 
carded mere physical methods of inflicting pain, and laid siege 
to the brain itself through the use of glaring lights of various 
colors, painted spirals, and other fantastic designs upon the 
cell walls, producing images on the retina that gradually burned 
themselves into the brain and finally led to madness. Thus 
does the rattlesnake’s gaily decorated skin exert its baleful 
influence upon its victim, to supplement the effect of the stony, 
basilisk eyes and the sound of the gently whirring rattles. 

Talbot Mundy, in his book, “The Devil’s Guard,” tells how 
some fiendish Tibetan bandits subjected a traveler to mental 
agony by torturing his friend before his eyes. Thus the cruel 
and perverted mind of man invents punishments that might 
well originate in the mind of a demon. The painted cells of 
Barcelona, in their effect upon the prisoner, outmoded and sur¬ 
passed the torture of the Middle Ages. They were based upon 
certain well-known optical illusions, supplemented with the 
manipulation of light and color, as drawn from scientific ex¬ 
periments on vision and the perception of images by the brain. 

The cells were built and the walls painted by Alfonso Lau¬ 
rent Cik, a Yugoslavian architect and painter. After their 
fiendish purpose was disclosed at the end of the civil war, he 
was arrested and tried before a military court, when their 
whole story was revealed and given to the world. Cik testified 
that he had acted upon compulsion and had merely carried out 
the orders of the Russian secret police, the dread Ogpu. Evi¬ 
dence pointed to the fact that the cells constructed and deco¬ 
rated by Cik were copied from plans already in possession of 
the Russian terrorist organization, evolved by brilliant but 
perverted minds through research in the domains of psychol¬ 
ogy and physiology. Nothing more fantastic and horrible can 
be found in Mrs. Shelley’s “Frankenstein” or Bram Stoker’s 
“Dracula” than this scheme for destroying the intellect through 
insidious attacks upon the sense of sight—a form of torture 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


175 


that leaves no physical evidence upon the body but accom¬ 
plishes with certainty a design more devastating than mere 
physical torment. 

In order to make it certain that the victim should find no 
escape by closing his eyes to shut out the maddening images, 
forever dancing and girating in the blinding glare of powerful 
lights, his hands were tied behind his back and his eyelids were 
held open by means of broad steel rings—a revival of an 
ancient form of torture. 

The whole picture drawn above is by no means pleasant to 
contemplate, but has been resorted to that man at his worst 
might be contrasted with the serpent, living the life which 
nature and nature’s God intended him to live. It might be ob¬ 
served that such comparison leaves Mr. Rattler at no great 
disadvantage—he employs the devices with which nature en¬ 
dowed him for purposes of obtaining a sufficient supply of 
food, and when his needs have been supplied, his hunger ap¬ 
peased, he desists from further application of such fiendish 
powers. At the worst, whatever punishment he inflicts upon 
his prey is of very short duration. Man, the real offender 
against the laws of common decency and humanity, appears to 
have mastered some of the rattler’s arts and utilized such 
knowledge with which to inflict insufferable pain upon his 
fellowman. 

The craftiness of the diamond-back literally fascinates one 
who devotes much study to them in the wild state. Such person 
does not find it necessary to pursue his studies and observa¬ 
tions for long until he finds it all but impossible to doubt new 
reports of his cunning and Satanic powers. If one be a true 
investigator he merely records such reports in his mind against 
the day when he may acquire first-hand proof of their accuracy. 
Surely it was not by chance that he came to be associated with 
the forces of the Evil One, even from the early dawn of 
creation. 

The trail of the serpent leads from the legends of Eden 
through the mazes of primitive worship and the cults of the 
jungle down to the present day. Even shunned and loathed by 
man, there can be nothing between him and the tempter of the 
Garden but perpetual enmity. 


176 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


The Southern coachwhip, too, is a rather accomplished 
whistler, and employs his art in calling his or her mate to their 
rescue in event danger threatens. The note he uses proves 
quite a convenience, also, in bagging his game. A reliable in¬ 
formant once related an interesting incident which serves to 
prove such statement as an established fact. When a mere lad 
he learned that rabbits delighted in gathering to his father’s 
wheat field in the cool of the day to nibble the tender blades 
of half-developed grain. While the rabbits were thus engaged 
he would stalk them with the skill of the Indians, armed with 
his little 22 cal. rifle. Now, his father had warned him more 
than once about treading down his heading wheat, so that on 
this occasion he was creeping so silently that he could have 
heard a leaf fall. No sooner was he completely hidden in the 
tall wheat than he distinctly heard someone whistle nearby. 
The call was short and shrill—“shreet.” He reasoned that it 
was his father spying upon his activities so lay motionless for 
a long time. As soon as he made the slightest rustle among 
the wheat the call was repeated. He followed the direction of 
the call until he came upon a small pine tree with branches all 
the way to the ground. A large coachwhip was lying his full 
length among the boughs, keeping an eye open for what he 
believed to be rabbits making the rustling noise in the wheat. 

Now, this incident brings to mind an art practiced by a 
darkey companion of my boyhood days. The two of us would 
be walking through the woodland, guns on shoulders, when 
suddenly a large cotton-tail rabbit would jump out of the wire- 
grass and go bounding away for the dense underbrush. The 
first time such incident ever came within my experience I would 
have called it an utter loss, since the rabbit was within ten feet 
of the briery underbrush when the old darkey uttered a very 
short, shrill whistle, and to my complete surprise the rabbit 
stopped in his tracks, turning his head from right to left, point¬ 
ing his long ears toward all points of the compass, thus giving 
my hunter companion time to bring his gun into play. Just 
another example of the human family adopting the practices of 
the wild creatures with good results. 

Another informant confirms the conclusions reached above 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


177 


as he related having once seen two coachwhips make common 
cause against a large bulldog. The man and his dog came upon 
the female as she was faithfully guarding her brood. The 
snake pulled all her tricks out of the bag, but without results. 
The coachwhip can make the most menacing gestures of any 
wild creature that ever went into battle to be absolutely harm¬ 
less. Seeing that she was fighting a losing battle, she com¬ 
menced whistling for her mate, and presto, he was upon the 
scene of conflict. The dog diverted his attention to the male 
and soon took him apart, but the female succeeded in conceal¬ 
ing her brood and found herself a place of safe concealment 
that she might continue to attend her little ones. Thus do 
nature’s creatures fight their daily battles in the wild. Neither 
of the two seemed to think of themselves, but both their minds 
were directed instantly and instinctively to their little ones lest 
the future of their clan be imperiled. The male could best be 
sacrificed. 

In the light of the above it is perfectly reasonable to pre¬ 
sume that the boa-constrictor employed the same method of 
luring the rubber worker from his boat in the Amazon River. 
If the secret of luring prey by reptiles employing a call was 
known to Mr. Slater and the natives of Brazil, then such point 
was not made clear. 


THE ORIGIN, SYMBOLISM, AND MODERN USE 
OF THE CADUCEUS 


It is a singular fact that one of the leading ideas connected 
with the serpent is in relation to health, the idea of healing 
probably having arisen from the primitive recognition of the 
serpent as a symbol of life. When we first meet with serpent 
worship, either in the wilderness of Sinai, the groves of Epi- 
daurus, or in the Samartian huts, the serpent is always the 
bringer of health and good fortune. The spirit which in an¬ 
cient Egypt presided over households was the asp of Ranno, 
the snake-head goddess who is represented as nursing the 
young princess. (In this connection it might profit the reader 
to refer to Numbers 21*6-9 and 2 Kings 18:4 having to do 
with a somewhat parallel incident in Sacred History.) The 
record shows that this brazen serpent was carefully preserved 
by the Israelites, and that they either lapsed into or set up 
serpent worship, which they probably learned in Egypt. For 
such reason, King Hezekiah, some 500 years later, had it 
destroyed. Those who are inclined to view this incident in such 
light may accept it as proving that the old Israelites looked 
upon the serpent as the bringer of health, since to look upon 
the brazen serpent would restore health to those who had been 
bitten by the serpents in the wilderness. The sojourn of the 
Israelites in Egypt doubtless brought them in contact with ser¬ 
pent worship, and it is not impossible that they engaged in it 
to some extent. However, we cannot easily reconcile this view 
with what we must believe was Moses’ attitude toward ser¬ 
pent worship. It would prove more profitable, and doubtless 
lead one nearer the truth if studied in connection with another 
incident in Bible history—that of Aaron setting up the golden 
calf for the people while Moses was absent in the Mount of 
Sinai. 

That the idea of health was intimately associated with the 
serpent is shown by the crown formed of the asp, or sacred 
Thermuthis, having been given particularly to Isis, the goddess 
of life and healing. It was also the symbol of other deities with 


178 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


179 


like attributes. Thus, in a papyrus it encircles the figure of 
Herpocrates, who was identified with the serpent god Aescula¬ 
pius ; while not only was a great serpent kept alive in the temple 
of Serapis, but on later monuments this deity is represented 
by a great serpent, with or without human head. (Serpents 
were sacred to Aesculapius, probably, because they have the 
faculty of renewing their youth by a change of skin.) Such 
change, due to the fact that the old garment is rough, dirty, 
and discolored, because of the effect of bleaching by the sun, 
gives the reptile the appearance of a wholly new creature. Such 
probably accounts for the fact that among some people he is 
associated with or is used as a symbol of immortality. If one 
could but forget momentarily their antipathy to the reptile 
and would view a diamond-back that has just donned his 
Easter ensemble for the first time, he would probably look 
upon one of nature’s most beautiful creatures. Each scale is 
new, free of dirt and discoloration—fresh in appearance as 
the leaf of the “Wandering Jew.” The refracting and reflect¬ 
ing qualities of the new scales compares favorably with that of 
a priceless pearl. The rattler even seems conscious of the 
power of such rich ornamentation. When he contrives to fas¬ 
cinate some passing bird he sings his rattles in the grass for 
the purpose of confusing the harmless little creature, then 
raises his head, spreading his skin to slightly resemble the 
cobra, and as he does so sways back and forth, so maneuvering 
as to exert his magic to the maximum upon the feathered 
creature which he has marked for his own. If one can imagine 
a thousand miniature prisms, fashioned by artists of blue-white 
diamonds* dangling in the early morning sun, then they might 
visualize rather accurately the true appearance of the diamond- 
back caught in the act of fascinating his prey. The only person 
the writer ever encountered who witnessed just such an inci¬ 
dent described it as' being an act so fascinating in its nature 
and appearance that anyone who would look upon such spec¬ 
tacle for long might become so fascinated by the beauty of it 
as to completely forget its deadliness, and be tempted to seize 
upon it to'Capture and treasure it as an “untouchable” of 
ancient India would an abandoned, jewel-studded tiara of an 
Eastern Maharajah. 


180 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


While the rattler cannot endure extreme heat, he will emerge 
from his gopher hole or den in the rocks around Easter and 
delights in exposing himself to the gentle spring sunshine. Such 
gentle heat provides not merely a bodily comfort but seems to 
ripen his old skin and prepare the same to be sloughed. Even 
his eyes turn white in the process, and he is temporarily 
blinded, but such condition does not continue for long. When 
he realizes that the time is right for sloughing, he crawls 
among the palmettoes with their saw-edge stems, or among 
cactus—perhaps hanging it upon a spur of some kind amidst 
the shrub oaks. He manages to hang his coat at the lip, gently 
crawling out of it, turning the old garment inside out in the 
process. And there you are! All dressed up in a new garment, 
so dazzlingly beautiful as would enable him to visit with and 
pay obeisance to kings, and it cost him not a farthing. 

The worship of Aesculapius was introduced into Rome in a 
time of great sickness, and an embassy was sent to Epidarus to 
invoke the aid of the god. He was propitious, and on the 
return of the ship, he accompanied it in the form of a ser¬ 
pent. 

The serpent, therefore, was a fit emblem of Rudra, “the 
healer,” and the Caduceus } the gift which Apollo presented to 
Mercury, the swift-footed messenger of the gods, could be en¬ 
twined with no more appropriate object than the serpent, which 
was supposed to be able to give the health, without which even 
Mercury’s magic staff could not confer health and happiness. 
(These old ancients understood as well as we of today that if 
we are to enjoy happiness we must first have health; and if the 
serpent could bring health, then he was a personage of no 
small moment.) 

Mercury’s famous rod of office, the caduceus, forms one of 
the most striking emblems of the talismanic serpent. But it is 
an error to suppose that this rod belonged exclusively to Her¬ 
mes or Mercury, for it may be found in the hand of the Egyp¬ 
tian Anubis, the Assyrian Cybele, the Grecian Aphrodite, 
Demeter, Dionysus, Mars, Minerva, and the personified con¬ 
stellation Virgo. (So we see that many of the heathen gods 
used the serpent in decorating their staff of office or symbol of 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


181 


authority, thus showing how general was the belief that the 
serpent did, in some way, bring good fortune.) 

The variations in the form of the caduceus are many and 
interesting. The wand is sometimes found without the wings, 
but never without the serpent. The difference consists prin¬ 
cipally in the relative positions of the wings and the serpents, 
and the number of folds made by the serpents’ bodies around 
the rod. 

According to Madame Blavatsky, the original symbol fig¬ 
ured a triple-headed serpent, but the center head became the 
nob of the rod, and the two lower heads were separated. Kir- 
chen says that the caduceus was originally in the form of a 
cross, and was invented by Thoth, the Egyptian Mercury, to 
symbolize the four elements proceeding from a common cen¬ 
ter. In Greece, however, its origin can be traced to the herald’s 
staff, and it was at first a simple laurel or olive stick, decorated 
with garlands or entwined with fillets of white wool. 

In Greek mythology, the caduceus was the magic instrument 
with which Hermes, the Good Shepherd, either lulled the 
weary to slumber, or roused the sleeping into wakefulness. 
The w’ord caduceus suggests duce, a leader, and ca, the great A. 
(We find this same term applied to Benito Mussolini, one¬ 
time ruler of all the Italians. They called him Duce, meaning 
the Great Leader.) 

It represents the staff or scepter of dominion between two 
serpents, the emblem of life or preservation, hence it was 
always borne by heralds, of whom Mercury, as the messenger 
of the gods, was the patron, and whose office was to pronounce 
war or declare peace. Of both of these it might be consid¬ 
ered the symbol, for the staff or spear, signifying power in 
general, was employed by the Greeks and Romans to represent 
Juno and Mars, and received divine honors all over the North, 
as well as the battle-axe and sword, by the latter of which the 
god of war, the supreme deity of those fierce nations, was 
signified. 

Farlong, in his “Rivers of Life” (vol. 1, page 223), gives 
the origin of the caduceus as follows: “It would seem that the 
caduceus of Mercury, that rod of life, is due to the fact of the 


182 


CREATURES of mystery 


ancients having observed that serpents conjoin in the double 
circular but erect form as in Aesculapius’s rod.” 

The pair of serpents in the caduceus is usually in close oppo¬ 
sition, with the heads facing each other, though at times we 
find them turned outward. The stick or rod around which they 
are entwined shows a vase-like or bulbous top. 

The explanation offered by writers, insofar as any is offered, 
as to the origin of the caduceus and especially the use of the 
entwining serpents in such close proximity, so far as we have 
been able to learn from history, coincides with the conclusion 
long ago reached by the writer. Of course, we have no way of 
knowing with scientific certainty, and cannot offer such proof 
as some might demand, but we will, with due apologies, offer 
the following, our belief, as to where these people of ancient 
days got their idea. We have heretofore related the story of 
the hunter who found two rattlers battling each other. The 
mid-section of their bodies were closely entwined, the upper 
and lower sections being free. The lower section of each being 
flattened and formed into a question mark was utilized as a 
base upon which to stand. They were facing each other, as in 
the caduceus, beating each other with their heads. Now, in 
the early age of the world, when almost the entire earth was 
given over to forests and jungles, when animal life was so 
abundant, it is evident, also, that reptile life must also have 
been exceedingly plentiful. Because of the very nature of such 
circumstances man must have, whether he willed it or not, 
lived as close neighbors to all these creatures, thereby having 
better opportunities than we of today of observing their man¬ 
ner of living. No doubt they observed reptiles battling each 
other as in the manner described above, and it is but reasonable 
that such observation provided the inspiration for these an¬ 
cient artists, giving us the modern caduceus. 

In substantiation of the foregoing, we invite the attention 
of the reader to what Forlong has to say in his “Rivers of 
Life” as to the origin of the caduceus. He says in plain lan¬ 
guage that the ancients got their idea of the form they gave 
the caduceus from observing the serpents themselves. After 
all, and in their final analysis, our concepts are and in fact must 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


183 


be based on experience. It may be the experience of others 
combined with kindred experiences of our own, but never¬ 
theless experience must provide the very foundation of it all. 
So our conclusion is that these ancient people formed the 
caduceus after the pattern they had seen the serpents assume 
in their native state, living their lives according to the instincts 
implanted in them by the Creative Power. 

The official use of the caduceus symbol for medical services 
in the United States dates from a very early period. In the 
archives of the Surgeon General’s office there is a heraldic 
shield bearing the symbol of Aesculapius, apparently of the 
1918 period, the Medical Corps having been organized at 
that date. 

This shows a shield with the national colors on the right, the 
single snake and staff on the left, and a cock for the crest. 
This may not be as true heraldically as it could be made, but at 
the same time the United States was not greatly concerned 
with heraldry. This symbol of Aesculapius is similar to that 
in use by the British Medical Corps and those of other Euro¬ 
pean countries. 

Today the Medical Department of the United States Army 
uses the caduceus as a symbol, having adopted it as the emblem 
of the noncombatant forces of their personnel in the field. It 
was borrowed from the Public Health Department, which 
seems to have used it for some time, and was formerly used 
on the uniform of the hospital steward in 1856, when it ap¬ 
peared on the chevron. It was never a part of the medical 
uniform until 1902, at which time there was a general revision 
of the Medical Corps and uniforms, following changes in 
Army Regulations, issue of 1901. 


REACTION OF THE LOWER ORDER OF ANIMALS 
TO HUMAN EMOTIONS 


In the beginning of this discussion we would like to call 
attention of the reader to the fact that Uncle Dave has been 
dealing with the deadly rattler for lo! these many years, hav¬ 
ing suffered no harm from them to this good hour. As recorded 
elsewhere, they have had opportunities on many occasions to 
bite him but on no occasion (since they became well acquainted) 
showed the least desire to do so. Some might insist upon it 
being plain good luck, whatever they mean by the term, but 
we are as confident that nothing of the sort is involved. He 
goes about hunting and capturing these reptiles fearlessly, per¬ 
fectly composed, with unruffled feelings, and with undisturbed 
emotions. In other words, his temperament is perfectly ad¬ 
justed to that sort of work. Maladjustments in dangerous 
work may be overcome but much danger is incurred by such 
person before such goal is attained. Wild animal trainers say 
that if a person is afraid of the animals they should never 
enter the cage with them; that if they do so the animals imme¬ 
diately sense the situation. Whether they get this feeling to¬ 
ward man because of some extra sense not possessed by mem¬ 
bers of the human family, or whether they are enraged be¬ 
cause of the objectionable odor given off by the secretions 
coming from certain glands, which are stimulated into action 
when a person becomes angry or frightened, we may not know 
with certainty; but we do know that there is a vast difference 
in the reaction of animals toward different people, and that 
those who are unafraid and who are not easily angered handle 
animals with much greater success than the type first men¬ 
tioned. Without hesitation we place Uncle Dave among those 
first mentioned. 

Naturalists such as Henri Fabre, Raymond L. Ditmars, and 
John Burroughs have opened a fascinating field of research in 
their studies of the nature and habits of insects, birds and 
animals, and their reactions to the influence of mankind. The 


184 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


185 


cow and the horse have become almost entirely dependent upon 
man, and the dog has been bred and trained to do his will and 
to render the various types of service required of him for so 
many generations that those activities have become to him 
second nature. Distinct types, such as pointer and setter, have 
been developed to assist man in hunting, and the collie and 
shepherd have adapted themselves to watching and herding 
sheep and cattle. 

To most of the lower animals man must appear eccentric 
and contradictory in his actions. By turn he is hostile, indif¬ 
ferent or friendly toward them, so that they never know ex¬ 
actly what to expect, and with the exception of a few of the 
well domesticated species, maintain a guarded attitude. 

An illustration of this is a blackbird that has gradually ac¬ 
quired trustful habits and builds its nest in the garden or 
shrubbery in sight of the friends who have fed and protected 
it during the winter weather. So little does it fear them that 
it allows them to come a dozen times a day, put the branches 
aside and look upon it, and even stroke its back as it sits on 
its eggs. 

But by and by a neighbor’s egg-hunting boy creeps in, dis¬ 
covers the nest, pulls it down and removes the eggs. The bird 
finds its confidence betrayed; had it suspected the boy’s evil in¬ 
tentions it would have made an outcry at his approach as at 
the appearance of a prowling cat, and the nest would perhaps 
have been saved. The result of such an occurrence is likely to 
be the return to the usual suspicious attitude of birds in the 
wild state. In the last analysis, birds and men are very much 
alike in that they form their opinions of us not so much by 
what we say as by what we do. So, if birds and animals could 
but speak out they might say, “Your actions are the only lan¬ 
guage we understand.” 

They are quick to discriminate between protectors and per¬ 
secutors, and will soon begin to reciprocate the friendly ad¬ 
vances of those who leave food for them and show a desire to 
approach them. They do not view the face only, but the entire 
form, and a change of clothing often renders it difficult for 
them to distinguish the individuals they know and trust from 


186 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


strangers. Often a dog is confused when his master, usually 
seen in a black or gray suit, appears in straw hat and flannels. 

Nevertheless, if birds once come to know those who habit¬ 
ually protect them, and form a trustful habit, this will not be 
abandoned on account of a little rough treatment at times. A 
lady who had a little colony of blackbirds nesting in her garden 
found them troublesome when she was gathering her straw¬ 
berries, and would sometimes capture one of the marauders, 
carrying him, screaming, struggling and pecking at her fingers, 
to the end of the garden and release him, but he would imme¬ 
diately follow her back to the strawberry bed and set to work 
feasting on the fruit again. We arrive at the same conclusion 
in this connection as with the animals and their trainer—they 
possess an acuteness of smell which enables them to know of 
the emotions of men. They know of man’s fear, as well as 
when he is enraged and has the intention to kill. 

The friendly or hostile attitude of the lower animals toward 
man is, however, not wholly attributable to the kind treatment 
habitually shown them. Even at first sight an animal may 
show either confidence, indifference, or violent dislike to a 
human being. It is a matter of common knowledge that those 
who are not afraid of bees will not be stung; that those un¬ 
afraid of a vicious dog will not be bitten, and that those who 
have no fear of ferocious beasts are seldom attacked, and 
make excellent trainers. 

There is, of course, a degree of the psychological in such 
phenomena, but there is good reason to believe that they are 
also referable to definite changes within the human body, set 
up by the glands of internal secretion, under the influence of 
the mind. We now know that these glands play a very essen¬ 
tial part in the growth and functioning of the body. They are 
known as “ductless glands”—that is, glands with an internal 
secretion, and are also called endocrine glands. 

The most important of these are the following: the pineal 
gland, located in the brain; the pituitary body or gland, at the 
base of the brain; the thyroid gland and behind it the parathy¬ 
roid gland, at both sides of the larynx; the thymus gland, 
which rests on the trachea, commonly known as the windpipe, 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


187 


at the spot where the latter branches into the bronchial tubes; 
and the adrenal glands, at the top of the kidneys. 

These glands all have the characteristics of discharging their 
secretions into the system directly—that is, without passing it 
through a duct or channel. As there is no vessel in the body 
where the secretion could accumulate, the secretion itself is 
invisible. We assume from the structure of the organ only that 
it is a gland. We also see, under the microscope, that the cells 
of the gland tissue secrete something, but we do not see enough 
of what they secrete to determine the color, consistency, and 
other characteristics of the secretion. 

The sweat and sebaceous glands, on the other hand, carry 
their visible and well-known secretions through special excre¬ 
tory channels to the skin. The stomach and salivary glands 
convey theirs in the same way into the alimentary canal. Like¬ 
wise, the liver transmits its secretion, which is stored away 
temporarily in the gall-bladder, by means of the bile duct. But 
if these aforementioned organs are genuine glands, only glands 
without an excretionary duct, what then becomes of their secre¬ 
tions, and where does it finally go? 

Now, these ductless glands, like all other organs, are neces¬ 
sarily connected with the blood circulation. They are sur¬ 
rounded by blood and lymph vessels which support them with 
nourishment and oxygen, and at the same time carry away the 
products that originate in the glands. To differentiate them 
from the glands of external secretion—for example, a sweat 
or salivary gland—their function is named internal secretion, 
or briefly “incretion.” 

The internal secretion necessarily changes the composition 
of the blood as it passes to different parts of the body to take 
care of the distribution of nourishment and oxygen and to 
carry away waste products and carbon dioxide. Naturally, the 
inner secretory products contained in the blood will have an 
influence on all those organs that are nourished by the blood. 
Therefore, the products of the ductless glands are vitally im¬ 
portant to the growth and health of the entire body. Some¬ 
times their influence promotes growth; at other times it re¬ 
tards; but always their influence is to maintain a normal, 
healthy balance. 


188 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


During the last quarter century, biological research has re¬ 
vealed to us a wonderful new world as we come to a fuller 
understanding of the endocrine system, which comprises all the 
glands of internal secretion. Though these glands seem to be 
without a means of discharge, they communicate with each 
other and with all parts of the body by means of the harmones 
which are contained in the circulating blood. 

The term “hormone” is applied to the internal secretion of 
any gland, and is derived from the Greek, meaning “some¬ 
thing that spurs into action.” These hormones not only stim¬ 
ulate the various parts of the body, but they also play the role 
of messenger from one part or organ to another. For example, 
when a person becomes angry, hormones are poured into the 
blood stream which stimulates the liver to empty into the blood 
an unusual amount of sugar, to compensate for the waste which 
will be occasioned by violent muscular action, which is the 
usual accompaniment of excitement or anger. While biological 
research discovered this property of the hormones, we knew 
of only one agent that discovered the unification of the func¬ 
tions of the various parts of the body, namely, the nervous 
system. In the polyglandular system we now know a second 
means of interchange, a system working on many glands with 
its effect based on chemical reaction. 

It is sometimes difficult to distinguish between ductless 
glands and glands with an external secretion. Quite often it 
happens that a gland which possesses visible ducts at the same 
time pours certain secretions into the body through invisible 
channels. One of these glands is the pancreas, a whitish, con¬ 
glomerate gland of irregular shape, situated in the abdomen 
beneath the stomach, and pouring its secretion into the alimen¬ 
tary canal during digestion. 

Science has established beyond controversy the fact that both 
fear and anger act directly upon the adrenal suprarenal glands, 
the two conical bodies resting upon the upper poles of the 
kidneys close to the sides of the vertebral column. The product 
of these ductless glands, which pour their secretion directly 
into the blood stream, is called adrenalin. 

Adrenalin is released into the blood stream from the adrenal 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


189 


glands when one has any kind of emotional disturbance, and 
its purpose is to act as a powerful stimulant to key up the 
body for the excessive demands which are to be made upon it, 
just as the hormones released in the blood signal the liver, 
during physical or emotional excitement, to release into the 
blood an extra supply of sugar to build up muscle fiber to take 
the place of that which is being burned up. 

Adrenalin is the emergency drug of the body which enables 
one to perform astonishing feats of strength. The stored-up 
sugar energy of the liver is instantly liberated to the muscles; 
the blood vessels in the brain and muscles are greatly dilated 
in order that sufficient energy and oxygen will be available; 
the vessels in the stomach and other internal organs, as well as 
the skin, promptly contract, giving up very large portions of 
their blood supply to the muscles; the heart promptly “shifts 
into high,” in order to speed up the circulation, and the nerves 
of respiration increase the rate of inhalation. In short, the 
individual is placed on a “wartime footing,” with every avail¬ 
able ounce of power mobilized and ready for instant action, at 
the expense of the normal peacetime activities of the body. 

The excessive supply of adrenalin which is thus poured out 
under the stress of fear or anger and distributed from the 
arteries to the veins and capillaries has a subtle and penetrat¬ 
ing odor which is instantly sensed by the keen perceptive organs 
of the bee, dog, snake or other animal, arousing a feeling of 
resentment and antagonism, with the impulse to attack before 
time is given to receive harm from the human being, who can¬ 
not himself notice this odor which is so evident to the more 
acute senses of the lower animals. 

Snakes are especially sensitive to the emanations of adren¬ 
alin from a human being under the influence of fear, yet it is 
said that a person unconscious of their presence will seldom 
be attacked unless the snake is in danger of being disturbed or 
stepped upon. This is easily understood in the light of the 
above. Being unconscious of the presence of the reptile there 
is no fright, hence no excessive flow of adrenalin which gives 
rise to the odor so objectionable to reptiles. 

Many readers will doubtless be impressed that we have fol- 


190 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


lowed theory too far afield in a vain endeavor to explain some 
of the mysterious things of this life. Almost everyone has, 
at some time or other in life, observed the effect of these 
changes within the human form if they would but connect them 
up with the above. They have surely taken note of the fact 
that anyone greatly enraged or frightened turns deathly pale; 
that their heartbeat is stepped up, and that deep breathing is 
noticeable. 

Under such circumstances men have been known to perform 
unbelievable feats of physical strength and endurance which 
baffled or defied satisfactory explanation. 

When such circumstances come into the life of any person, 
the forces of nature, which are wholly automatic in their oper¬ 
ation, act quickly to prepare such one for a fight, or to flee 
from the scene, whichever may be rendered imperative. 

When the blood circulation is restricted to the vital organs 
then the nerves which lie near the surface are put to sleep, so 
to speak—so acted upon by the absence of blood that they are 
practically paralyzed, all of which might be introduced as proof 
that Nature is both wonderful and merciful. When such con¬ 
dition prevails, savage beasts may fight to the death in the 
jungle, or men upon the battlefields receive the fatal thrust 
without consciousness of the fact that they are doomed to die. 

The case of a veteran of the first World War is called to 
mind. He carried an ugly scar above his right eye, the result 
of a bayonet thrust which missed because of his alertness. He 
felt no pain at the time, neither was there any flow of blood. 
On his return to his own trenches, when his passions had be¬ 
come somewhat normal and blood again commenced to flow 
to the very surface, he became conscious for the first time of 
an acute pain. Feeling to determine the cause of it, his face 
was becoming flooded with blood. 

Many and varied are the changes which take place in the 
human form when the passions are thoroughly aroused. Any 
person who would cultivate an intimate acquaintance with the 
rattler will not fail to observe that as he gets himself under 
more perfect control the rattler will respond correspondingly. 
There has never been any question in the mind of the writer 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


191 


but that anyone thoroughly versed in their ways could have 
taken a noose on the end of an ordinary walking cane and 
taken alive the giant reptile which drove the horseman from 
the woodland. 

The secretiveness of the reptile, which has been discussed 
herein, is but one of the elements that have exerted a powerful 
influence over the mind of man since the earliest times. His 
swift and gliding motion without wings or feet; its power of 
disappearing suddenly; the brilliance and power of fascination 
of its eye; its beauty and strength; the sudden fatal conse¬ 
quences of its bite, and the practice of casting its skin, which 
would suggest longevity or even immortality—all these con¬ 
tribute to arouse feelings of wonder, respect, fear and worship, 
and also to make the serpent the subject of innumerable myths. 
There is often found a belief in the serpent’s beneficence, prob¬ 
ably because myth easily attributed to its wisdom, secret knowl¬ 
edge, magical power, healing properties and inspiration. 

There can be no question but that the power of fascination 
of the serpent had much to do with the development of hypno¬ 
tism. The effect of the concentrated gaze of the eye of the 
serpent was observed and imitated by man, just as he has 
learned from the honey-cell of the bee that a six-sided container 
is the one best calculated to withstand pressure, and just as his 
observation of the spider’s web has been the inspiration of the 
suspension bridge. 


SNAKE CULTS AND SERPENT WORSHIP 


It would be necessary—if such be possible—to peer behind 
the veil of antiquity to behold an era so remote from the 
present that serpent worship was not the accepted form of 
adoration of many peoples the world over. No culture, no 
people, at any time in the past, has escaped its influence. Such 
is in itself a rational and instructive subject of inquiry, espe¬ 
cially notable for its width of range in mythology and religion. 
We may begin with the lower races, with such accounts of 
those of the American Indian’s reverence for the rattlesnake 
as grandfather and king of snakes, as a divine protector, able 
to give fair winds or cause tempests; or of the worship of great 
snakes among the tribes of Peru before they received the re¬ 
ligion of the Incas, as to whom an old writer says: “They 
adore the demon when he presents himself to them in the figure 
of some beast or serpent, and talks with them.” 

Later on, examples of serpent worship may be traced into 
classic and barbaric Europe; the great serpent which defended 
the citadel of Athens and enjoyed its monthly honey-cakes 
(Herodotus, VIII, 41) ; the Roman genus loci appearing in 
the form of a snake; the old Prussian serpent worship and 
offering of food to the household snakes; the golden viper 
adorned by the Lombards, till Barbatus got it into his hands 
and the goldsmiths made it into paten and chalice. 

To this day Europe has not forgotten in the nursery tales 
or more serious belief the snake that comes with its golden 
crown and drinks milk out of the child’s porringer; the house 
snake, tame and kindly but seldom seen that cares for the cows 
and the children and gives omens of a death in the family; the 
pair of household snakes which have a mystic connection of 
life and death with the husband and housewife themselves. 

Serpent-worship, apparently of the directest sort, was prom¬ 
inent in the indigenous religions of Southern Asia. It appears 
to have maintained no mean place in early Indian Buddhism, 
for the sculptures of the Sanchi tope show scenes of adoration 
of the five-headed snake-deity in his temple, performed by a 


192 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


193 


race of serpent-worshippers, figuratively represented with 
snakes growing from their shoulders, and whose raja him¬ 
self has a five-headed snake arching hood-wise over his head. 
In different ways these Naga tribes of South Asia are on the 
one hand analogues of the Snake Indians of America, and on 
the other of the Ophiogenes or Serpent-race of the Troad, 
kindred of the vipers whose bite they could cure by touch, and 
descendants of an ancient hero transformed into a snake. 

Serpents had a prominent place in the religions of the world, 
as the incarnations, shrines, or symbols of high deities. Such 
were the rattlesnake worshipped in the Natchez temple of the 
Sun, and the snake belonging to the Aztec deity Quetzalcoatl; 
the snake as worshipped still by the Slave Coast negro, not for 
itself, but for its indwelling deity; the snake kept and fed with 
milk in the temple of the old Slavonic god Potrimpos; the 
serpent-symbol of the healing deity, Asklepios, who abode in 
or manifested himself through the huge tame snakes kept in 
his temples (it is doubtful whether this had any original con¬ 
nection with the adoption of the snake, from its renewal by 
casting its old slough, as the accepted emblem of a new life or 
immortality in later symbolism) ; and lastly, the Phoenician 
serpent with its tail in its mouth, symbol of the world and of 
the Heaven-god Taaut, in its original meaning perhaps a 
mythic world-snake like the Scandinavian Midgard-worm, but 
in the changed fancy of later ages adapted into an emblem of 
eternity. 

It scarcely seems proved that savage races, in all their 
mystic contemplations of the serpent, ever developed out of 
their own minds the idea, to us so familiar, of adopting it as 
a personification of evil. In ancient times, we may ascribe this 
character perhaps to the monster whose well-known form is 
to be seen on the mummy-cases, the Apophis-serpent of the 
Egyptian Hades; and it unequivocally belongs to the destroy¬ 
ing serpent of the Zarathustrians, Azhi Dahaka, a figure which 
bears so remarkable a relation to that of the Semitic serpent 
of Eden, which may possibly stand in historical connection 
with it. 

A wondrous blending of the ancient rites of Ophialatry with 


194 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


mystic conceptions of Gnosticism appears in the cultus which 
tradition (in truth or slander) declares the semi-Christian sect 
of Ophites to have rendered their tame snake, enticing it out 
of its chest to coil around the sacramental bread, and worship¬ 
ping it as representing the great king from heaven who in the 
beginning gave to man and woman the knowledge of the 
mysteries (Tyler, Edw. B., Primitive Culture, Vol. 2, pp. 
239-42). 

The serpent has, in all ages, been famed for its shrewdness 
and wisdom, whether in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3 :1; 2 Cor. 
11:3) or generally (Matt. 10:16). “Be ye therefore wise as 
serpents and harmless as doves.” The serpent is a symbol of 
immortality, owing to the fact that it makes an endless circle 
when holding its tail in its mouth, and also from the circum¬ 
stance that it renews itself by shedding its skin. 

From the time the Babylonians traced their first crude writ¬ 
ings on cylinders of clay, the serpent has held sway over the 
superstitions of men. King Cobra has spread his hood in In¬ 
dian temples while high priests have droned their incantations 
for his favor. King Rattlesnake has writhed through the sands 
of the Painted Desert, sanctified by the Hopis so that he may 
return to the earth spirit with the prayers of his tribe. 

Seeing the snake with a litter of young, the ancient man 
looked upon him as an emblem of fertility, and from there it 
was only a step for him to set up an idol and worship it when¬ 
ever he wished more children or more abundant harvests. The 
symbolism of the serpent developed through the centuries. As 
the snake represented fertility, what was more natural than 
for it to be associated with the sun, the great giver of life, 
People began talking of a snake that dwelt in the golden orb; 
soon the Indians were calling the Milky Way the Path of the 
Serpent, and the prismatic arch of the rainbow became the 
Celestial Serpent to the Persians. 

The snake appears as a healer in the drawings of Isis and 
Osiris, the great Egyptian gods, and also with the Hindu 
deities, Rudra and Ramahavaly. And best known of all repre¬ 
sentations is the caduceus carried by Hermes, or Mercury, 
messenger of the gods on Mount Olympus. This is his badge 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


195 


of office, showing a rod with two serpents entwined around it 
and topped by a pair of wings. 

In one form or another, the healing powers of the serpent 
are familiar in legend and custom. Siegfried bathed in the 
blood of the dragon he slew and thus became invulnerable; the 
blind emperor Theodosius recovered his sight when a grateful 
serpent laid a precious stone upon his eyes; Cadmus and his 
wife were turned into serpents to cure human ills. At Fer¬ 
nando Po, when there is an epidemic among children, they are 
brought to touch a serpent’s skin which hangs on a pole. The 
same ideas underlie the story of the brazen serpent which cured 
the Israelites of the bites of the serpents in the wilderness. 

In Burma and India the snake is closely connected with 
religious ceremonies, and it is not only protected but wor¬ 
shipped. The priests handle these poisonous serpents without 
fear, and receive no harm from them. Whether they exert a 
true form of hypnotic influence over them is a matter not defi¬ 
nitely determined, but like other animals, the snakes respond 
to kindness and show the results of generations of friendly 
treatment by entire absence of fear. 

A snake temple at Calicut contains several living cobras, 
which are fed by priests and worshippers; they are carefully 
protected, and allow themselves to be handled and made into 
necklaces by those who feed them. They are venerated as 
representing the spirits of ancestors. The worship of living 
snakes is also found at Mysore and at Vaisarpadi near Madras, 
where crowds of votaries assemble, generally on Sundays, in 
the hope of seeing the snakes preserved in the temple grounds. 
In the island of Nainatavoe, Ceylon, consecrated snakes used 
to be tenderly reared by the Pandaram priests, and fed daily 
at the expense of their votaries. At Bhandak, in the Central 
Provinces, a cobra appears in the snake temple on all public 
occasions, and similar cases are reported at Rajamundri, Sam- 
balpur, and Manipur. 

At the most ancient temple in Bilaspur and in Chattisgarh, 
the only temple is that of the cobra. At Nagarcoil is a temple 
of the snake-god containing many stone images of snakes; 
snakebite is considered not fatal within a mile of the temple. 


196 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


At Mannarsala the sacred enclosure contains several living 
cobras. (Tames Hastings Encyclopedia of Religion and Eth¬ 
ics, Vol. II, p. 418.) 


SNAKE-DANCE OF THE HOPIS—THEIR 
IMMUNITY TO THE BITE 


Much has been written of the fearlessness of the Hopi In¬ 
dians of Arizona in handling rattlesnakes, and of their freedom 
from fatalities when bitten during their snake-dances or at 
other times. It is rather generally conceded by intelligent 
readers that they are either immune to the venom or have 
developed an antidote both simple and 100 per cent effective. 
Writers occasionally overexert themselves in a vain endeavor 
to prove that what appears a great mystery is simple in the 
extreme, in that the priests, or medicine men of the tribe do, 
prior to the ceremonies, remove the fangs of the reptiles, thus 
rendering them harmless. Other writers, equally sincere and 
trustworthy, insist that they have witnessed these ceremonies 
at such close range that they actually saw ugly flesh wounds 
inflicted upon the bodies and ofttimes in the face of those par¬ 
ticipating in the ceremony, and without harmful effects. The 
writer entertains the suspicion that the modern scientific white 
man is entirely too loath to admit that the “Poor Indian” has 
at least one secret formula they are unable to duplicate in the 
laboratories of the entire scientific world. Case of an offended 
pride, no doubt. In this connection it is worth noting that Hopi 
Indians do not die of the bite, and this cannot be said for anti- 
venin, the much-heralded concoction of the modern scientific 
world. 

George E. Coleman, of the George Williams Hooper Foun¬ 
dation for Medical Research, University of California Medi¬ 
cal School, San Francisco, writing in the Bulletin of the Anti- 
venin Institute of America, Vol. I, No. 4, Ja., 1928, gave the 
following brief account of his visit to the ceremony of the 
Hopis, and of his limited knowledge acquired on the occasion, 
of the nature of antidote used: 

“I was present at two of the snake-dances last August and 
asked many questions of the educated and intelligent Indians. 
The following statements were made to me by them: 


197 


198 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


(1) Neither the fangs nor the poison glands of the snakes 
used in the dances are removed. 

(2) The Indians are occasionally bitten during the dances. 
One Indian priest was bitten in the face last August at Walpi. 
They are occasionally bitten at other times. 

(3) There appears to be no natural immunity among the 
Indians to rattlesnake venom. 

(4) An antidote is prepared by boiling the leaves and stems 
of some plant the nature of which is kept secret. The secret 
is known to only one person in the tribe, and when his death 
becomes imminent is handed down to another. The liquid is 
slightly turpid, of a pale amber color, and without odor. It is 
acid, and has a slightly bitter taste. 

One Indian said that the plant is boiled in water ten minutes, 
another said half an hour, and another reported two or three 
hours. Many of the Indians are said to have this remedy con¬ 
stantly on hand, and it is said to be effective for two or three 
months after being prepared. The usual procedures are 
adopted in cases of rattlesnake bites: that is, the application 
of a tourniquet when possible, and lancing the wound. After 
this, the wound is moistened with the antidote, which is also 
taken internally, dose taken equivalent to approximately 50 
cubic centimeters.” 


AN INCIDENT OF THE CIVIL WAR 


The following incident was related to me by an old gentle¬ 
man, a veteran of the Confederate Army, who declared that 
he was influenced to enter the ministry by reason of an en¬ 
counter with a diamond-back rattlesnake during the Civil War 
days. It is not recalled definitely to what command he be¬ 
longed, but if our memory is not in error he was attached to 
the cavalry of General Joe Wheeler, that dashing and spec¬ 
tacular leader of the Southern cavalry, whose sudden and 
stinging blows against General Sherman in the vicinity of 
Augusta, Georgia (the city of his birth) caused that Northern 
leader to turn aside from the city rather than suffer the losses 
that Wheeler was inflicting upon his troops. 

My old Confederate friend had been assigned to perform 
some spy duty within the lines of General Sherman. He, to¬ 
gether with a companion, had been quite successful with their 
assignment, but had been detected and were forced to run for 
their lives. In the midst of a hail of bullets they entered a 
great river swamp, well in the lead of their closest pursuers. 
They reached the swamp unharmed, aside from having their 
clothing riddled with bullets. They penetrated deep into the 
swamp, which was practically surrounded by the enemy. Their 
hope of escape was practically reduced to nothing, but two 
factors happily combined to provide a ray of hope. Darkness 
would soon envelop them; then, too, the ground over which 
they were retreating from the scene was covered deeply with 
creeping vines, thus leaving no tracks for their pursuers to 
follow. 

Deep in the river swamp they found a great hollow cypress 
log. My old gentleman friend entered first with his com¬ 
panion close on his heels. As the former crawled farther into 
the hollow of the log, his ears caught the sound of the rattles 
of a big rattlesnake only a few feet beyond him. He paused 
and realized that he could not incur the risk of approaching 
any nearer. Just then his companion called to him, urging him 
to move on since his feet were still outside the log and sure 


199 


200 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


to betray his position. By that time the voices of the pursuing 
Yankee soldiers could be heard drawing near. It was a critical 
moment, in which death menaced the fugitives from two direc¬ 
tions. Both knew all too well the penalty for spying, so the 
first to enter the log, concluding that he might as well die from 
the bite of a rattlesnake as face a firing squad, crawled on 
until his face literally touched the rattler’s coiled body and 
the whirring rattles fanned the tip of his nose. 

As the writer knew this venerable old gentleman when he 
was eighty years of age, he must have been a giant in his 
younger days, and probably not noted for piety or for giving 
much thought to the hereafter. According to his own admis¬ 
sion, his thoughts just then turned to his mother, friends back 
home, and existence beyond the grave. Yielding to such im¬ 
pulses for the first time in his life, he called upon his Supreme 
Commander, making an irrevocable vow that if he would save 
him from the menace of that rattler “an’ them dern Yankees” 
he would serve Him to the end of his days. 

He lay perfectly still and would have held his breath had 
such physical feat been possible, in order that the rattler might 
become calm. The latter had about ceased whirring his rattles. 
Just then the Yankees reached the log and heard the gentle 
sound of the rattles. Using the butt of his rifle, one of them 
pounded on the log directly over the snake within. The 
response such procedure provoked was a more violent whir¬ 
ring than ever, ascending the scale to a higher pitch. As they 
listened for some moments, considering the possibility of the 
two Confederate refugees sharing the log with the infuriated 
diamond-back, one of them remarked: 

“No man more esteems the Southern soldier for his valor 
than I do, but there’s not a man south of the Mason-Dixon 
line who has the courage to stay in a log with an angry rattle¬ 
snake; come on, let’s get out of here.” 

Darkness soon closed in over the scene of this near tragedy, 
and the two cautiously crawled out of the log, and when the 
sun arose the next morning they were safely back within the 
Confederate lines, with an almost unbelievable experience to 
relate to their comrades. 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


201 


True to his vow, the Southern soldier whose life had been 
spared almost by a miracle of the first order, entered the min¬ 
istry, serving in an humble capacity until his strength had so 
forsaken him that he was no longer able to perform his active 
duties as a pastor. Nevertheless, he continued faithful to the 
end of his days, and never tired of giving testimony to the 
goodness, mercy and protecting hand of his Divine Master. 

Not to detract anything from the faith of the old gentleman, 
who always believed that his life had been spared by reason of 
Divine intervention, it is a known fact that the last thing a 
rattler wants after it has entered into hibernation is to make an 
attack, unless he be uncovered, or withdrawn from his place of 
concealment. He merely behaved in a manner quite in keeping 
with his nature. In the Western states, owls and prairie dogs 
of the plains share their dens with them and do not seem to 
fear their presence. In the South, rabbits, gophers, skunks and 
other animals spend much time in the same retreats with them 
without any apparent fear of being harmed by them. In this 
respect, creatures have an instinct that is superior to human 
reason. All in all, the rattlesnake rarely attacks except in his 
own defense, or when in pursuit of prey. If he uses his deadly 
fangs, it is because he has reason to believe that his own safety 
is in danger. 

While the distribution of dangerous snakes in the United 
States may seem a great peril to those who are not thoroughly 
familiar with the characteristics of reptiles, it is true never¬ 
theless that accidents to man are rarely recorded. This circum¬ 
stance is at strong variance with other countries—South Amer¬ 
ica, Africa and India, in particular. In the latter country, the 
human death rate runs up to about 25,000 a year. In these 
tropical countries, a large part of the population goes about 
bare-legged, while venomous reptiles prowl about the imme¬ 
diate domains of man. In the United States, the poisonous 
reptiles usually retreat from the areas inhabited by man, or 
when lured thereto by reason of the pangs of hunger, exercise 
the utmost caution to the end that their paths do not cross 
that of man. 

Holbrook describes the Banded Rattlesnake as remarkably 


202 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


slow and sluggish, lying quietly in wait for his prey, and never 
wantonly attacking or destroying animals, except as food, un¬ 
less disturbed by them. But when irritated or interfered with, 
his whole attitude changes with the rapidity of lightning. He 
immediately coils himself, shakes his rattles violently, and 
strikes at whatever comes within reach. In his native woods 
one may pass unmolested within a few feet of him. Though 
aware of the presence of someone, the snake either lies quiet 
or glides away to a more retired spot. It is said that this par¬ 
ticular species never follows the object of his rage, be it an 
animal that has passed close to him, or only a stick thrust at 
him to provoke his wrath. He simply strikes, and prepares to 
strike again, or he may slowly retreat like an unconquered 
enemy, sure of his strength, but not choosing further combat. 
So apathetic do these snakes become that persons have been 
known to step over them without arousing their anger or caus¬ 
ing them to coil and strike. 

They Love Little Children 

Dr. Stejneger, in speaking on this point in his “Poisonous 
Snakes of North America,” says: “There even seems to be 
truth in some of the stories about children having been found 
playing with them and carrying live rattlesnakes about without 
having been hurt.” 

There are many instances on record of children playing with 
venomous snakes without fear, and consequently without in¬ 
jury. One of the most unusual and fascinating stories which 
has been brought to my attention since I undertook to inves¬ 
tigate the habits of the rattlesnake in the wild state has to do 
with a very small child who made a companion of one under¬ 
neath his parents’ residence. 

This family lived within the coastal plains of Georgia, where 
this large, vicious and venomous reptile abounds. They lived 
in a log house, with chimney of sticks and mud. 

Every afternoon the mother gave this little boy, who had 
just begun to walk, a cup of milk. She began to take notice of 
the fact that when he received this he would go out into the 
yard and disappear. She had been conscious of the fact for 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


203 


some time, but the thought had never occurred to her to at¬ 
tribute any particular significance to the act. She finally began 
to wonder about the fact that each time she gave him his cup 
of milk he would drink a portion of it and then go out into 
the yard and vanish from sight. She spoke of this to the child’s 
father, with the result that he planned to secretly observe the 
little boy’s actions and thereby learn the cause of his peculiar 
behavior. 

He did not have to wait long to obtain the information he 
sought. The next time the child was given his cup of milk he 
went directly underneath the house and crawled up close to the 
base of the chimney. The father then approached to within 
a few feet without his notice so that he might obtain a close-up 
view of what was going on. What he saw filled him with 
amazement and horror. At the approach of the child a large 
diamond-back rattlesnake crawled from underneath the chim¬ 
ney, from a hole that the dog had scratched for the purpose of 
providing himself with a cool place during the summer months 
and a warm retreat for the cold winter nights, when there was 
fire in the hearth. 

The big reptile crawled boldly up to the child who held the 
cup outstretched toward him and began drinking the milk 
while the little boy patted him on the neck and back. Though 
terribly alarmed for the safety of his child, the father knew 
well that any interference on his part might be fraught with 
serious consequences to his little son, so he stood back out of 
sight until the serpent had emptied the cup of milk and the 
child had finished fondling the rattler, then the father killed 
it with a well-aimed shot from his gun. 

As a rule a rattlesnake does not make its home in such close 
proximity to the abode of man, but the house was vacant dur¬ 
ing his period of hibernation, and the excavation the dog had 
made beneath the chimney proved to be exactly what he needed 
to provide him a dry and comfortable retreat during the dis¬ 
agreeable winter months. 

This incident is a striking illustration of the fact that, ex¬ 
cept under very unusual circumstances, anyone who has no fear 
of reptiles will ever be harmed. (See Chapter, “Reaction of 
Lower Animals to Human Emotions.”) 


LITTLE BURMESE GIRL PREFERS KING COBRA 
AS PET 


We once read a very interesting article having to do with 
a little Burmese girl who inherited no fear whatever of ser¬ 
pents, but on the contrary had no sooner left the cradle and 
gotten out on the lawn than she made a playmate of a deadly 
king cobra, which made no attempt to harm her. 

One day her mother, who had been busy with her chores 
about the house and had, consequently, neglected her little 
daughter for some time, set out to look for the child. To her 
horror she found her in the corner of the lawn playing with 
the great serpent. The child insisted from the beginning that 
the snake would not bite her, and could not understand her 
mother’s alarm. In Burma, as well as India, the cobra is re¬ 
garded with veneration, therefore is protected, at least by 
certain sects. 

The snake was not killed on this occasion, and the child be¬ 
came more and more intimate with her scaly companion, and 
finally was brought to America, giving public exhibitions of her 
power of rendering the great serpent harmless. No matter 
how menacing his attitude, she would continue her rhythmic 
motions as he swayed back and forth until she compelled him 
to approach to her very lips and actually kiss her. However, 
she advised strongly against ill-advised attempts to duplicate 
her feat by any person feeling the slightest fear of reptiles. 


204 


BLACK BEAR DETOURS FOR MR. RATTLER 


Of all the living beings of earth, sea and air, there is but 
one that does not fear the lurking menace of the swamp—the 
diamond-back rattlesnake. This one animal is the king snake, 
which is immune to the rattler’s venom and attacks him with¬ 
out hesitation wherever he may be found. And amid infested 
swamps many a battle royal is fought out to the death between 
these two formidable serpents—with victory almost invariably 
going to the king snake. 

The Red Men have long been gone. Only names and 
mounds and terrible memories of them remain. Yet, their 
lands are not unguarded. There, among the silent shrouded 
cypresses still lurk dwellers more dangerous than the Seminoles 
and fiercer than the painted warriors of the Creeks. 

On a warm night in early summer, as the full moon wheeled 
above the rim of the world and illuminated the dark places of 
the Great Swamp, from an island hidden in the depths came 
the booming bellow of the bull alligator. Fourteen feet long, 
of vast girth, with the menace of dagger-like teeth and lashing 
tail, the great reptile seemed the unchallenged ruler of the 
place. Yet, the real autocrat of that island was another, silent 
and deadly as death itself. 

That night he came out from a clump of dwarf palmettoes 
under whose leaves he had lain coiled all through the long, hot 
hours of the day—an eight-foot rattlesnake, gray-green in 
color, his back marked with that chain of olive-colored dia¬ 
monds bordered with yellow which have given this species its 
name. 

Slowly the thick body, over a foot in circumference, moved 
along the ground in an unwavering line, leaving a deep print 
in the sand, straight as the track of a wheel. The glittering 
black eyes set in the wide, heart-shaped head, had oval pupils, 
that hall-mark of a venomous snake, while a dark band beneath 
each eye emphasized the terrible menace in their depths. 

As the great serpent moved slowly forward, its forked 
tongue flickering in the air like a black flame, it looked the part 


205 


206 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


which it played among the serpents of the world. The king 
cobra of Asia, the black mamba of Africa, the bushmaster of 
South America, and the death-adder of Australia are all fatal 
and terrible snakes, yet none of them exceed in deadliness the 
diamond-back rattlesnake of North America, and none of them 
equal the menace of its appearance. 

Coiling itself in the broad pathway of white sand, the great 
snake lay there, the deadliest creature that Southern moon 
ever shone upon. Even against that snowy background, it 
looked like a patch of withered bracken, so subtly did its color¬ 
ing melt and fuse in the moonlight. Still as the sand itself on 
that windless night, yet the serpent was hunting its prey in the 
infinitely patient, yet supremely confident way of its kind. 

For a long time there was no sound beneath the stars. Then 
from across the water came the ghostly hoot of a great horned 
owl, hunting among the scattered islands of the swamp. The 
silence was broken at last by a dripping sound at the edge of 
the island as a marsh rabbit, an expert swimmer, landed, hav¬ 
ing taken to the water to avoid the owl. Then came a series of 
tiny thuds as the little animal came hopping leisurely down 
the trail. 

Although snakes do not hear in the ordinary sense of the 
word, yet the rattler was instantly conscious of the vibrations 
of the rabbit’s feet, and its coiled body became tense as a steel 
spring. As the rabbit passed the blur of brown among the 
green fans of the dwarf palmettoes, there was a flash of motion 
against the sand, too swift for any human eye to register, and 
the rattlesnake was back in its coil again as if nothing had oc¬ 
curred. Yet, in that tiny instant of time, a number of separate 
things had happened. The mouth of the great snake had gaped 
wide, and the movable fangs of its upper jaw had flashed out 
of their sheaths of white gum-like tiny spear-points. At the 
same instant the flat head had shot forward, burying the 
crooked white needles deep in the rabbit’s side, while the 
muscles around the poison sacs contracted, spurting a jet of 
the amber essence of death into the hollow fangs, and from a 
hole in their side, like that in a hypodermic needle, deep into 
the veins of the little victim. There was a frightened squeal, 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


207 


a thrashing among the palmettoes, and then silence. Slowly 
the great snake uncoiled, and with head held high and horrible, 
disappeared into the brush, following the stricken animal’s 
trail by scent. 

A few days later the rattlesnake again came out of cover 
and coiled itself in the very center of the trail, sinister and 
unafraid in the warm sunlight. A faint musky odor exhaled 
from its mottled body, and at that scent of death all the wild 
creatures who had been accustomed to use that path turned 
aside long before they reached the sentinel who guarded it. 

Toward noon the basking snake sensed the vibrations of 
some approaching animal, and around the bend came a huge 
black beast with a splash of white in the center of its broad 

chest. The color, the humped hind quarters and the head 

swinging low on a long neck marked the king of all the car¬ 
nivora of Eastern America, the black bear. As his feet came 

nearer and nearer to the silent shape on the sand, a clicking 

whir broke the drowsy, noontide silence shary and sudden as 
an electric bell, and the nineteen rattles of the great snake, 
thrust straight up beside its flat, waiting head, moved so rap¬ 
idly that they showed only as a blur within its coils. Even 
before he caught the sound, the bear’s nostrils had told him 
who it was that guarded the trail before him. For a moment 
the black beast faced the brown snake, his body swaying inde¬ 
cisively in the sunlight. Then suddenly he turned aside and, 
making a wide detour around the threatening figure, picked 
up the trail farther on and disappeared in the brush. 

For fully five minutes after the bear had gone on, the whir 
of the snake’s rattles sounded as if controlled by some auto¬ 
matic mechanism which had to run down before it could stop. 
It was that prolonged rattling that was the great snake’s un¬ 
doing, for the long-continued insistent sound brought to the 
spot the one creature in the half-thousand square miles of that 
marsh who did not fear and avoid the reptile whose body lay 
across the trail. 

As the alarm-notes of the rattlesnake died away to a few 
scattered ticks, from the underbrush beside the path flowed a 
snake whose black body, cross-barred with chains of white 


208 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


rings, was much larger though slimmer than that of the other. 
The scales of the newcomer, moreover, were smooth instead 
of being ridged as were those of the rattlesnake, and its lithe 
body slipped over the sand with a speed which no rattlesnake, 
the heaviest of all venomous serpents, could equal. 

Slithering through the sand, the shimmering black figure 
approached the coiled rattler unconcernedly, for the newcomer 
was no other than one of the king snakes, whose blood is im¬ 
mune to the venom of any reptile of the Western Hemisphere, 
he it rattlesnake, moccasin, bushmaster, or fer-de-lance. 

As by scent the diamond-back sensed the approach of the 
other, its rattles again whirred warningly and the fixed, lidless 
eyes took on that look of terrible menace which neither man 
nor beast can endure to face. 

The king snake, however, showed no fear, but shot straight 
toward the heart-shaped head which waited for him. Then, 
like the sudden flicker of light upon water, the rattler struck, 
driving its curved fangs deep into the back of the other, and 
was instantly back in position. The next instant there was a 
writhing tangle of coils in the path, and like a narrow ribbon 
of black silk, the slim body of the king snake wound around 
and around the rattler’s huge bulk. Again and again the dia¬ 
mond-back drove its fangs into the other’s body. A man would 
have died in a few minutes and most snakes almost as soon 
from such a tremendous dosage of venom. Its only effect upon 
the king snake, however, was the winding more closely of its 
relentless length, while its taught body and prismatic scales 
beamed in the sun like burnished metal. Then the choking 
coils tightened and the rattler’s mouth gaped wide open as it 
gasped for air. Not until the bloated body lay limp and lifeless 
upon the sand did the king snake loosen its grip and disappear 
to the brush, the avenger of a long line of little victims who had 
fallen prey to that dead ruler of the dark places of the marsh. 
— (Adapted from “The Diamond-back,” by Samuel Scoville, 
Jr., in Nature Magazine, Sept., 1929.) 


JUST A MINUTE, PROFESSOR! 


It has been taught, and I think always without contradic¬ 
tion, that the king snake is fortified by a natural immunity to 
the venom of the rattlesnake. Just a minute, professor! It is 
not now our purpose to definitely contradict such teaching 
since, as already stated in the foreword, we lay claim to no 
scientific knowledge touching the subject, but have spent a life¬ 
time gathering in the most interesting observations, and have 
made a few in our own right which prove conclusively that 
many eminent scholars have missed their guess in their attempt 
to ferret out all of the mysterious practices of the diamond- 
back in the wild state. In the light of an observation I shall 
presently relate, I am not positive that a king snake kept in 
captivity for an extended period of time would survive an in¬ 
jection of the diamond-back’s venom. On the contrary, one in 
the wild state might, and then again he might not—let’s see. 

The point is this: During our boyhood we listened to some 
of our elders relating an interesting story of having witnessed 
a king snake holding a rattler at bay. Before making an at¬ 
tack, he went about diligently searching hither and yon. Finally 
he located the tender weed he sought and took two or three 
bites of its leaves and then returned for the attack. In the 
encounter he was bitten once or twice and on each occasion 
would retire from the encounter to nibble the weed. Just to 
see what it would lead to, the observer stepped forward and 
pulled up the weed. The rattler proved himself more than a 
match for the king snake, inflicting other wounds upon him. 
No longer able to find his weed, the king snake soon retired 
from the encounter and died as a result of the rattler’s venom. 
At the time we thought little of the story, believing that it was 
merely the creation of some person with a high degree of 
imagination, and that the same had been handed down by word 
of mouth from father to son until it came to me. Since then 
we have thought more seriously of it. Ofttimes such myths 
have a genuine foundation if one could but trace them down to 
their origin. 


209 


210 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


By way of substantiation of such contention “Uncle Dave” 
once made an interesting observation. He was on his way 
fishing, following a cattle trail across a muddy flat adjacent to 
the stream. On his return several hours later he took notice of 
a large king snake lying across the trail, dead, and with suffi¬ 
cient sign of a struggle to indicate that the spot had been the 
scene of a death battle between himself and some other reptile. 
Fang signs were noted about his midsection. A short distance 
away he found a large water rattler, crawling triumphantly 
away from the scene of the encounter. What is your answer, 
based upon the above evidence? Mine is that the king snake 
had been too busy with his hunting and had neglected his im¬ 
munizing weed. 

It has been related elsewhere herein that the Hopi Indians 
of Arizona have a remedy which does not fail, and that the 
same is brewed from the leaves of some wild herb not known 
to the white man. The reader need make but another addi¬ 
tional step in his line of reasoning, and such step is entirely 
logical, to arrive at the conclusion that the king snake does 
employ such method in rendering himself immune to the venom 
of the rattler, and that the Indian learned the secret from the 
king snake by such observation as that related above. 


THE MATCHLESS SPLENDOR OF THE RATTLER’S 
TIARA RIVALS THAT OF AN EASTERN 
POTENTATE 

The following experience was related by an old gentleman 
who lives in the neighborhood of the great Okefenokee Swamp 
in Georgia. It illustrates the deadly power of fascination ex¬ 
erted by the rattlesnake over birds and small animals which it 
captures for food. 

The narrator was walking along a settlement road one 
bright summer morning when his attention was suddenly ar¬ 
rested by the unusual behavior of a small bird flitting about 
from weed to weed, all the while chirping in a terrified and 
distressed manner. Though the bird would fly away for a 
short distance, he would invariably return to the location of 
whatever it was that appeared to fascinate him. His interest 
seemed to center about one particular spot, and as soon as the 
old gentleman took his gaze from the bird to look for the 
source of his distress, he located the object that held the bird 
under his hypnotic influence. 

On the other side of a log, with head erect and tongue dart¬ 
ing back and forth, was a large rattlesnake. It seemed that 
the snake was handicapped when he first observed the bird, in 
that he was behind a log from him, and hence had to employ 
means not ordinarily used to fascinate his prey. He reared up 
out of his coil to a considerable height. The skin of his throat 
and neck was somewhat spread after the manner of the cobra 
and he was swaying back and forth with a rhythmical move¬ 
ment. 

Most deadly of the North American poisonous serpents, and 
ranking in size with the largest of the tropical venomous snakes 
of both the New and Old World, this huge rattlesnake, with 
its brilliant and symmetrical markings, was a beautiful and 
terrible object. There was a certain awe-inspiring grandeur 
about the coil of this formidable brute; the glittering black 
eyes, the slow-waving tongue, and the incessant rasping note 

ir „ * 

211 


212 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


of the rattle. But the most disconcerting feature of his attack 
was the deadly collectedness and assurance of power which 
fairly radiated from his glistening body. He was consciously 
master of the situation and determined to make a kill. In some 
subtle manner this assurance communicated itself to his victim 
and overcame his rapidly waning power of resistance. 

Because of the superb beauty of his body markings and the 
cleanliness of his skin—it was evident that the rattler had 
recently sloughed his skin—leaving all dust and discoloration 
with the old garment. Had his new scales been unaided by 
the brilliance of the morning sun, he would still have been a 
thing of beauty to behold, but each scale seemed to possess 
the refracting quality of a prism, with the result that the sun’s 
rays were reflected in all the varying hues of the seven colors 
of the rainbow, rivaling in beauty the most dazzling tiara 
worn by a Maharajah of the East Indies. For the rattler’s 
scales seem to possess some of the qualities of the pearl, which 
is built in layers of varying thickness, so that when the sun’s 
rays are absorbed by the first layer they are reflected by the 
deeper layers, giving them a delicate tint made up of all the 
shades which might be compounded by any of the great masters 
from the seven basic colors. Then, too, it seemed that the rat¬ 
tler had the ability to move the skin of his neck in such manner 
as to reflect and refract the rays of the sun most effectively. 

The whole spectacle filled the old gentleman with mingled 
emotions. The beauty of the snake was so striking that he 
could not refrain from wishing that he might preserve him 
permanently. Yet at the same time he felt the opposing desire 
to destroy him and all his kin as the embodiment of the Prince 
of Fallen Angels. His love of the artistic created the desire 
to preserve, while his hatred for that which was utterly evil 
urged him to destroy. Such conflicting emotions are common 
to the human heart. The dividing line between love and hate 
is often extremely narrow. As he looked with pity and amaze¬ 
ment upon the tragedy that was about to be enacted before his 
eyes, he deplored the weakness of the harmless creatures that 
came within the range of their arch enemy’s Satanic powers. 
How pitiful were their futile efforts to escape that diabolical 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


213 


influence! To add to the horror that assailed the sense of 
vision, above all this tragic scene continually rose the sound of 
the serpent’s gently whirring rattles. 

“The most subtle of all the beasts of the field,” say the 
Scriptures of the serpent. The more one studies the rattle¬ 
snake, following him from place to place and observing his 
masterly cunning and self-assurance, the more one is impressed 
with his uncanny wisdom and skill in varied arts of deception 
and cruelty. Let no one discount his Satanic powers, which he 
has possessed from the very dawn of creation and developed 
through myriads of generations. From his diabolical influence 
the best assurance of safety is in flight, lest we fall into the 
error ‘of Mother Eve in the Garden of Eden. The collective 
experience of observers establishes the fact that no mortal will 
ever witness anything so nearly resembling the Black Prince 
in the flesh as when viewing a rattler successfully endeavoring 
to disarm his prey, or possibly man himself, through his power 
of fascination. 


MIRACLE, OR COINCIDENCE? 


We beg leave to refer the reader again to a previous chap¬ 
ter—“An Incident of the Civil War.” Having reflected over 
this incident, one will very likely inquire of himself whether 
or not miracles are definitely outmoded, or whether there is 
still Divine intervention in the daily affairs of men. The whole 
question is a highly controversial one, hence we shall avoid 
any definite commitments. The rattler which played a promi¬ 
nent role in this incident behaved in a manner quite in keeping 
with his nature, and could be relied upon to thus conduct him¬ 
self over and over again, when encroached upon in quarters 
where freedom of movement is denied him. It happens to be 
a fact which none will deny that the sound of a rattler simply 
chills the blood of those coming upon one unexpectedly. It is 
not impossible that these Union soldiers carried out their im¬ 
mediate assignment in a perfunctory manner—with sufficient 
outward show as would convince their immediate superior 
that they had, as soldiers, been thoroughly vigilant in the per¬ 
formance of their duties, but had, in reality, fled the scene by 
reason of fear. Even if this were true, no just criticism could 
possibly be directed at them—they were not open to charges 
of dereliction of duty. On the contrary, their sudden decision 
to abandon the chase might well be accepted by some as evi¬ 
dence of the Divine mind working upon their own, and direct¬ 
ing their mental processes. 

If, on the contrary, we are still living in an age of miracles, 
it is believed with all sincerity that the incident related below is 
more definitely entangled with the miraculous than the one 
set forth above. 

The same has to do with an humble old minister of the Gos¬ 
pel, afflicted with total blindness, and bowed under the weight 
of years. It was during the early pioneer days when ministers 
were few and far between, and the mode of conveyance in 
vogue at the time was slow and uncertain. He came along with 
the first influx of settlers, and at the time being in possession of 
his sight, selected a suitable site for his future home, built him- 


214 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


215 


self and his faithful wife a modest shack, thereafter observing 
with comparative indifference the surge of humanity pressing 
on westward, ever westward. As for himself, he was quite con¬ 
tent to stay put and minister unto the spiritual needs of his de¬ 
voted flock. For almost half a century he had discharged with 
fervor all the duties of one called to his high office and with 
little thought of price or pay. He had joined together in the 
holy bonds of matrimony all the courting lads and lassies of the 
community, blessed the offspring of such unions, solaced those 
in distress, preached to the living, and buried the dead. If, 
perchance, recipients of his kind offices dropped a dime or two 
with him for his services, then such was accepted with grati¬ 
tude. If, on the contrary, nothing was proffered him, he en¬ 
tertained no unkind thought, neither spoke an unkind word 
concerning those who had so thoughtlessly neglected their blind 
old minister, since he loved his fellowman next to Him whom 
he served daily. 

One summer day as he was seated upon his vine-covered 
porch, peering out across the landscape with eyes that no 
longer beheld its beauty and charm, the thought suddenly 
came to him that it was time to go out to the barnyard and 
give his family horse and milchcow their ration of grain and 
hay for the evening. His faithful wife was busily engaged in 
the kitchen preparing their “snack” for supper. With hickory 
cane in hand he made his way past the front yard gate, tapping 
every familiar object as he trudged along, just to make sure 
that he would not stray from the familiar path. When the old 
gentleman had been gone long enough to have done all his 
chores and returned, the wife heard him calling to her, seem¬ 
ingly in distress. As she hastened to the scene she observed 
that he had strayed far from the beaten trail and appeared to 
be walking in circles and getting farther and farther from his 
destination. 

In a vain endeavor to conceal from him her concern over his 
unaccountable and meaningless meanderings, she proceeded to 
reprimand him: “Well, ol’ man, what on earth has come over 
ye” ? Here we has been a-livin’ here for nigh unto fifty years, 
and ye’ve been a-walkin’ this path more times a day than ye’ve 


216 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


got fingers and toes, an’ now ye can’t fin’ yer way to the lot 
less’un I guide ye. I b’lieves to me name ye’re ’proachin’ yer 
secon’ chil’hood.” 

Deep in his heart he knew that she loved him more now than 
she did in her girlhood days, but accepted her expressions of 
solicitude as a reprimand, he proceeded to soften her up with 
the kind entreaty: “Now come on, sweet womern, don’t be 
unpatient w’ me—jes’ show me the way to the barn so’s I kin 
feed the critters—they mus’ be a-gittin’ hongry b’ now.” So 
saying, they both dropped the subject and walked leisurely 
along the way, discussing other trivial events of the day. When 
she came within sight of the barn door, everything was made 
perfectly clear to her, or so she thought. Coiled in a depres* 
sion, immediately in front of the door where he always stood 
to gather an arm load of corn for his horse was an eight-foot 
rattler, attracted to the spot from a nearby hedge with designs 
upon the rats infesting his barn, and the fry chickens about 
his barnyard. 

From his sacs might have been extracted enough venom to 
kill forty strong men if apportioned equally among them. 

Under the law of averages these two occurrences should not 
have happened at the same time. There is one chance in a 
million that it was a mere coincidence. What is the true an¬ 
swer ? 


TWO CHAMPS MEET 


Having their origin in the blood-red hills of central and 
north central Georgia, a number of smaller streams combine 
to form what the Creek Indians called the Ocmulgee River. 
Farther on toward its mouth it merges its bloody tide with that 
of the Oconee to form the Altamaha, their united floods wind¬ 
ing their way to the sea. Now, darkies in general, particularly 
those living along this river valley, do not obligate themselves 
to observe the names given such, either by the Indians or white 
geographers and surveyors. On the contrary, many of them 
insisted that this muddy river should have been known as the 
“Oaky-Mucky,” and would not desist from the practice of 
calling it just that. There being sufficient reason for meditat¬ 
ing on most things the darkey says and does, let us examine 
to learn if possible if there is not some significance to the name 
thus applied to it. The river swamps as well as the sandhills 
fringing its eastern shores abounded in oak and other hard¬ 
wood. When this old river was on a rampage the washings 
of the red clay hills of central Georgia was released from the 
grip of the surging tide as the impounded waters bided their 
time to regain the channel and continue the journey to the 
sea. The result was a “mucky” deposit which all but denied 
thoroughfare to the average pedestrian. While such deposits 
made quite a contribution to the wealth of ancient Egypt by 
fertilizing the valley of the Nile, they served little purpose on 
the Ocmulgee, but on the contrary promoted the growth of an 
almost impenetrable jungle and an intolerable annoyance to 
fishermen making their way from the hills to the river channel. 

Fishermen had on divers occasions, and covering a period of 
many years, met with a dreadful reptile—diamond-back rat¬ 
tler, of course—in the swamplands along this river. Due to his 
length of years he had become increasingly crafty. Each year 
seemed to render him more aggressive and ill-tempered. It 
appeared that he even sensed the danger of firearms, and 
would permit the passerby to continue on his course when thus 
protected, but if it promised to be a man-to-man encounter, he 


217 


218 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


did not hesitate to challenge their right to molest his hunting 
ground. Many of the younger generation along the river, as 
well as timid adults, had been thrilled and chilled times with¬ 
out number as stories of such encounters were related by those 
having the experience. Such stories had finally come to take 
on the nature of a legend. 

The vast majority of those living along the highlands of 
the river and in close proximity to the stream listened out of 
sheer courtesy to such narratives, but with little show of confi¬ 
dence in the veracity of the narrators. These were those who 
took not kindly to the art of fishing, and on each occasion when 
they were compelled to listen anew to the tiresome details of 
such legend would confess, unabashed, that it was their candid 
opinion that such person had, immediately prior to such alleged 
encounter, tarried too long at the winepress. Ofttimes they 
were somewhat unmerciful in their criticism, accusing these 
fishermen of having stolen a page from the despicable record 
of Ananias—in short, all these fishermen were plain liars. To 
such accusations those at whom they were aimed countered 
with the rejoinder that, even if true, all liars were not fisher¬ 
men. They insisted farther that such exaggerations as they, 
the humble followers of Izaak Walton might be found guilty 
of, had to do chiefly with the number of fish caught, the length 
of their string, or perhaps as is most often the case, the size 
of the great fish that got away. Even if true, they insisted, no 
one but the fisherman guilty of such colossal falsehoods could 
possibly be injured thereby, while their holier-than-thou critics 
all too frequently originate and set in motion gossip which 
works irreparable injury to the good name of those at whom it 
was directed. Thus the controversy raged, a controversy in 
which the writer cannot but side with these well-meaning de¬ 
votees of the art of fishing. 

Fear always gripped their hearts as they trudged cautiously 
through the hummock land and river swamp, a land over 
which this overgrown old diamond-back ruled with as much 
absolutism as any tyrant of either ancient, medieval, or modern 
times. New fears beset them, however, when they gained the 
river channel and began to display their luscious and appetiz- 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


219 


ing bait. A great blue channel catfish had earned for himself 
a reputation second only to that of the rattler when it came to 
plaguing these fishermen and ruining their pleasure for the day. 
Many fishermen had experienced contact with him, and more 
often than not he had seized their bait and had taken line and 
pole with it to the depths of the river channel. None had ever 
been able to take him in, though they vied with each other for 
the honor and notoriety of nailing his great head on their barn 
door. Each time such depredations were committed it was 
done with not the slightest air of showmanship, but merely as 
a part of this old bearded patriarch’s day’s foraging. 

It remained for a net fisherman to set at rest forever this 
raging controversy over this mythical diamond-back and blue 
channel catfish. It so happened that he had never himself been 
a party to it, but listened with patience to the evidence both 
pro and con. Like a true investigator, he merely “salted down” 
the evidence adduced and bided his time in the hope and with 
the confident expectation that something more tangible would 
one day present itself. As he was drifting along with the cur¬ 
rent, hugging the western bank and nearing a point at a bend 
in the river, some strange object entangled with the limbs of 
a great fallen pine tree revealed itself to his keen and observ¬ 
ing eye. The scouring effect of the river current, as it rolled 
against the clay cliff at the bend had finally undermined this 
giant pine which had fallen into the channel while its roots 
clung tenaciously to the soil ashore. A more careful inspection 
revealed to him not only the giant rattler, but the catfish as 
well. They were locked in mortal combat, the catfish with his 
vise-like jaws gripped firmly upon the form of the rattler, and 
the later with his long, poisonous fangs sunk to their depths 
in the muscles of the fish’s jaw. According to the estimate of 
our informant, the fish must have weighed not less than fifty 
pounds, and the diamond-back eight feet in length or more. 

Thus ends all that was definitely known of the record of 
these two champs. The details of this duel in which both per¬ 
ished will remain forever the secret of the muddy waters of 
the Ocmulgee. It has already been stated that such creatures 
do not perform freely for members of the human family. The 


220 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


reader is as much at liberty to supply the missing details 
through the medium of his imagination as the writer. The 
mute evidence points unerringly to the fact that there must 
have been a silent but terrible struggle. 

For our own part we see this great catfish lounging leisurely 
about his lair floored by the ooze of the Ocmulgee channel 
when a noticeable ripple upon the surface influenced him to 
direct his attention thither. Nothing strange about ripples upon 
the surface of this turbulent river, but it is not every creature 
that can read the signs he reads. 

When its tide rolls against the steep bluffs at such bends, 
swerving sharply toward the farther shore, there are unde¬ 
termined numbers of ripples. The bloody waters boil as though 
Dante’s inferno lay at the bottom of it all, while miniature 
maelstroms form everywhere as a result of such force brought 
to bear upon it. 

As for the diamond-back, his luck as a hunter had been 
rotten for several days in succession, so much so that “miss-a- 
meal-cramps” beset him in his digestive organs. Very naturally 
concluding that hunting would be better on the farther shore, 
he lost no time in attempting a fording of the stream. Like 
every tyrant and conqueror, he committed just one error that 
led to his undoing—he attempted a crossing at a point where 
he was destined to engage in battle with a mighty adversary— 
an enemy thoroughly familiar with every inch of the ground 
on which the battle was destined to be won or lost. 

As he looked up at the agitated waters, forming a long “V,” 
he observed what appeared to be a great eel-worm at the 
point of the “V.” He must have exclaimed, “Leaping catfishes, 
what a worm! Now, there goes a meal fit to grace the table 
of a true noble of the catfish clan!” So observing, he rapidly 
ascended in order to view his quarry at closer range. Having 
satisfied himself that this fellow would provide meat for his 
table for several days to come, he laid hold of him with a firm 
grip in the midsection, dragging him instantly beneath the 
waves where the rattler was compelled to fight blindly. Strik¬ 
ing savagely from right to left, he finally seized his invisible 
assailant in the muscle of his tough jaw. As he did so a flame 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


221 


of fire flashed throughout the whole of the great fish’s being 
as the deadly venom was injected. Otherwise the wound was 
accompanied by a mere stinging sensation which soon subsided 
as the paralyzing effect of the poison ran its course. As the 
fish regained his cove below he had lost some of his appetite 
which had prodded him on to make the attack, but reasoning 
that he would feel better soon, maintained a firm grip upon his 
catch. Little did he realize it, but he was feeling as fit then as 
he would ever feel again. In his dying agony he tightened his 
grip upon the reptile, while the latter soon succumbed to the 
pressure of the catfish’s vise-like jaws. As the great fish bloated 
from the effects of decomposition he arose from the oozy 
depths with his gruesome catch soon to be fouled up with the 
limbs overhanging the bluff where the fisherman observed 
them with a death grip each upon the other. 

Thus ended an unobserved duel between two champs in 
which both won. Or, should we say, both lost. Have it the 
way you like it best. 


UNCLE DAVE AND HIS WATER-RATTLER 


When the water-rattler is projected into the field of discus¬ 
sion herpetologists will no doubt protest the existence of such 
a specie. To be more definite, I have already had correspond¬ 
ence with four of the leading zoological societies and snake- 
farm operators in America, all of which deny that the scientific 
world has any knowledge whatever of such a reptile. But to 
Uncle Dave, he is very real—as a matter of fact, it was one 
of these, and not a diamond-back, which took the life of his 
son. He was present and looking directly at his son when the 
tragedy occurred. Now, there is no difference between this 
species and the true diamond-back other than their habits, 
color, and absence of rattles. I shall attempt a more detailed 
description of such differences later. 

They are without doubt the most ill-tempered of any mem¬ 
ber of the rattler family, and bathers who, unfortunately, take 
a dip in a lake infested with their young, are very likely to pay 
with their lives for such indiscretion. They will attack beneath 
the water as quickly as upon the banks of the stream, and do 
not give the usual warning of the diamond-back. Uncle Dave 
avers that while you hear the hiss of the latter in time to 
escape the blow, the hiss and the stroke of the water-rattler 
come simultaneously—consequently, when you hear the hiss of 
the latter, you are already bitten. Recounting in my own mind 
the number of fatalities among victims of the two species, it 
is my opinion that the water-rattler is more deadly than the 
diamond-back. This might be explained on the theory that 
while the latter is eternally fanging his prey, dogs, and larger 
animals which threaten to trample upon him, the water-rattler 
seldom has occasion to employ his fangs, but fishes for his 
food after the fashion of the moccasin. Animals enumerated 
above, and men, seldom frequent his native haunts, lakes, 
ponds, and stagnant lagoons. Consequently, when he does 
have occasion to bite, the victim is sure to receive an overdose 
of the deadly venom. 

When one’s skin has been freshly sloughed, the diamonds 


222 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


223 


along his sides can be seen, but are so nearly faded out that 
they can scarcely be delineated. There is no doubt but that 
the diamond-back and the water-rattler were originally of the 
same species, the latter gradually taking on a different hue that 
he might more perfectly blend with the muddy water in which 
he sought refuge. His rattles and diamonds, both of which 
were formerly employed in his rather mysterious art of fas¬ 
cination, were consequently discarded by nature as unessential 
to his future well-being. Any student of nature will admit as 
much. So, viewing him all up one side and down the other, 
Uncle Dave can discern no difference which is more than skin 
and rattle deep. 

In event scientists of the land should eventually throw 
Uncle Dave and his water-rattler both out of court for want 
of sufficient evidence, he still has an ace up his sleeve. Mother 
Nature, he feels sure, will not let him down, since there occa¬ 
sionally appears a throwback with rattles, and the aid of col¬ 
lege-trained snake experts will not be required to properly 
classify him. So, for the present, he rests his case. 


MIXED-BREED OR NEW SPECIES, WHICH? 


It would appear that nature over-exerted herself when she 
camouflaged the diamond-back—we are speaking of the true 
diamond-back which species is becoming almost exinct in this 
section of the country. This fellow is indeed a sport model 
among rattlers, being so gaudily arrayed that his colors work 
toward his extinction rather than in favor of his preservation. 
He was equipped by nature for the hill land, and his coloring 
suited his environment admirably, inasmuch as it blended with 
the natural color of the native wiregrass and fallen pine 
needles, but when most of the land was brought into cultivation 
he was left practically homeless. The swamp-rattler, though 
a true diamond-back, was of a much darker color, due to the 
nature of his environment. 

Twenty-six different species have been catalogued the world 
over (not counting Uncle Dave’s water-rattler, and a second 
discovery to which we shall presently refer), ranging in color 
all the way from jet black to snow white. The rattler adapts 
himself to ever changing conditions so readily that we are 
prone to believe that new species spring into being more readily 
than nature would breed a new species of quadruped under 
similar conditions. In addition to his camouflaged skin, nature 
provided other means of protection, in that he absorbs and 
reflects light in such manner as to make him appear the exact 
color of that with which he is surrounded. In the bright sun¬ 
light he assumes a bright hue, but transferred to shaded ground 
he becomes dark and all but disappears from view. So that 
the shaded swampland has everything to do with the swamp 
rattler assuming his present coloring. 

Pursuing this same subject farther, Uncle Dave once made 
a find which baffled him completely. In a region where no 
species had ever been found other than the diamond-back, 
swamp rattler, water-rattler, and pygmy (or ground rattler), 
he found one with a back as black as teak-wood and an abdo¬ 
men as bright as a newly-minted penny. Otherwise he was the 
same as others he had been accustomed to noosing. It was on 


224 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


225 


a small tributary of the Satilla River, known to the early 
Spanish settlers as Saint Ilia. The owner of the land men¬ 
tioned very casually that he killed them of similar description 
in this same vicinity occasionally and he was equally puzzled 
as regards their true classification. Disposing of him finally 
to a large museum he invited the curator to accord him special 
attention and give him the benefit of his opinion. In due course 
of time he had a letter from the museum communicating the 
astounding information that this fellow lived in an environ¬ 
ment where there was an abundance of red clay, and crawling 
upon this was the cause of him getting his belly shined a bright 
copper color. Such an opinion from an “expert” caused Uncle 
Dave to go squarely off the handle like an old grubbing hoe. 
He had been noosing rattlers for half a century and there was 
absolutely no difference between this fellow’s environment and 
that of others he had been catching in years gone by. 

If guesswork and theorizing were in order, then he would do 
some himself. There being no biological difference between 
the diamond-back and the water-rattler, and some of the char¬ 
acteristics of the two being combined in this one, there re¬ 
mained little doubt in his mind but that two of opposing species 
had entered into a state of cohabitation, and that this half- 
breed had inherited the rattles of his diamond-back daddy and 
the color of his sea-going mamma. 


“OL’ SPOT” ENTERS THE FRAY 


Yes, you guessed it correctly. 01’ Spot was the family watch 
dog who came into the possession of the family without pedi¬ 
gree or recommendation—just dropped by some passerby who 
contrived to rid himself of the nuisance without doing murder. 
He grew into a dog of rare intelligence—absolutely unwaver¬ 
ing in his fidelity to his master, and of unfailing courage when 
it came to safeguarding the little children committed to his 
care. 

Our early home was situated between two spring heads. At 
some remote period of the past, when the world was new, 
these spring places must have been large pools of crystal-clear 
water—pure as the mountain dew, but with the lapse of ages 
had accumulated leaves, trash and washings from the hills 
until now they were transformed into impenetrable mire. For 
reasons which are not wholly obscure, we called it “The Devil’s 
Swimming Hole.” A dense and tangled verdant growth for 
an undetermined number of acres ’round about was supported 
by these spring places which proved as inviting a spot to every 
predatory species of animal and bird as the oasis does to the 
weary and thirsty desert caravan. Such places provided a con¬ 
venient springboard from which marauding birds and animals 
would initiate their constant forays against the domesticated 
fowl of the barnyard. If every creature, of whatever kind, 
which ever sought asylum in these cool jungle spots were com¬ 
manded to march forth it would provide one of the most 
spectacular parades ever witnessed. 

Such a spot, as the reader might have already surmised, 
was the scene of much strange carryings on. Tragedies with¬ 
out number were eternally being perpetrated among members 
of the feathered family. Such deposits of almost bottomless 
mire might easily be visualized as the spawning ground of all 
living flesh, and successfully defied all creatures save those 
peculiarly adapted by nature to take up residence within its 
sloppy confines. Alligator turtles, and all species of moccasins 
found a safe haven there. The bullfrog, that basso-soloist of 


226 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


227 


the swampland and pond places, found food sufficient for his 
need. Between minnows, insects and moth which become 
trapped in the mire, these fellows experienced an easy and 
luxurious existence. As in all nature, one of these creatures 
would prey upon another, while his assailant would, in turn, 
be sought by his own most loved ( ?) enemy, and as a result 
of this whole revolting war, nature’s perfect balance would be 
maintained, and for man’s good. The minnow was eternally 
seeking the larvae of the mosquito, the frog lying in wait for 
the minnow, and the moccasin kept eyes which were never 
closed eternally upon the frog. The bullfrog, besides being 
endowed by nature with a low bass voice, was also a noted 
tenor—on occasions. When skies were rosy and all serene he 
could be heard singing his bass solo, but occasionally he would 
be heard from afar rending the air with his shrill cry as a 
child frightened out of its wits. When Spot heard such lamen¬ 
tations he knew perfectly well that murder was-being done 
down at the Devil’s Swimming Hole, and that some unfor¬ 
tunate bullfrog was destined to become the victim. He would 
often go unaccompanied and break it up, returning with a feel¬ 
ing of self-satisfaction—with a feeling that an imperative duty 
had been well performed. 

The mud turtle caused Spot no little bit of concern, and we 
doubt that he ever knew for certain what was at the bottom 
of all the tragedies he promoted. While he appears to be a 
slothful and rather stupid creature, yet he is endowed by 
nature with the means of earning a living with a minimum of 
physical exertion. He has his fishing tackle with him at all 
times, in the likeness of a pink-colored eel worm attached to 
his tongue. By opening his mouth wide, in the shallow waters, 
he can doze off to sleep if he likes and await a “bite.” When 
he gets the call, his giant jaws click shut like the jaws of a 
steeltrap, and he has fish sufficient for the day. 

When some luckless water fowl, or perchance a chicken 
which strayed from the barnyard stepped upon this mire, he 
would take them gently but firmly by the leg and gradually 
draw them beneath the surface and feast for days upon the 
carcass, far removed from the menace of his enemies. 

During the noon-hour one sultry summer day, while the 


228 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


farm hands, agreeable with their usual custom and practice, 
were resting from their labors, the tranquillity of these green 
heads was suddenly broken by an outburst of the most dis¬ 
tressing cries by birds of every feather. Spot was first to sense 
the fact that some war-minded villain had broken the truce, 
and that murder was stalking abroad. He was off to the rescue 
without awaiting a summons or command. One of the men, 
one who knew the dog’s uncanny faculties for fathoming mys¬ 
teries, followed close behind. Once upon the scene of the 
tragedy, it was noted that all of the commotion seemed to 
center around a small cluster of gall-shrubs. A joree (so called 
by reason of his peculiar note, “jo-r-e-e-e“) appeared to be 
more distressed than other birds present, and persisted in hov¬ 
ering above these bushes. Spot was going in circles about the 
scene of the commotion, whining. Looking into these bushes 
this observer took note of nothing more menacing than the 
wing of a dead joree in an upright position upon the leaves. 
Reaching forward he attempted to pick it up, but it would not 
let go, so applying some force he pulled about two feet of the 
business end of a five-foot rattler from a deposit of dead 
leaves. 

It has been stated elsewhere, and we insist here, that the 
rattler is capable of singing a song, or whistling in such manner 
as to deceive the birds and influence them to come to investi¬ 
gate. The reason the writer knows this to be a fact is that he 
has heard it himself. Once they gather to the spot, if the 
reptile is in a concealed position, he will deliberately crawl 
forth where he knows they can see him clearly, then make it 
appear that he is retreating from the scene by reason of their 
terrible outcry. Having clearly shown himself, he will crawl 
beneath the sheltering leaves of a patch of shrubs, knowing 
they will finally come near for a closer inspection. When they 
do this, coming within range of his powerful glare, they never 
recover from the effect, unless someone should come along in 
time to release them from the power which binds them. When 
birds are noted crying in such manner as described above, and 
occasionally darting down, dive-bomber style, one may know 
for sure that some reptile is at the bottom of all the excite¬ 
ment. 


HE MAKES A NICE LITTLE PET, THE KING SNAKE 
DOES 


Provided you want to be nice and just play, but if anyone 
should get other ideas in their head—if one should attempt to 
get “nasty” and start playing rough—well, we would not 
underwrite his continued docile disposition. 

One of our party with whom I have hunted many years once 
had two large bird dogs, one of which he trained to aid him 
in the chase. At the same time he had a semi-domesticated 
king snake which he kept about the farm. He enjoyed about 
as much freedom about the premises as any member of the 
family. His owner and protector would often feed him young 
rats, but if neglected too long he would go hunting about the 
corncrib, entertaining no fear whatever of any member of the 
household. 

It happened, and not infrequently, while his protector would 
be busily engaged with his general farm work, that his dog 
would be heard barking, baying something about the farm, 
and if his master did not come to him he would soon come 
across the field holding this six-foot king snake in his mouth. 
His master reprimanded him after this fashion: “Now you’ve 
brought in the wrong snake—go straight back and put him 
down where you got him from.” Nursing a dejected spirit, 
he would drop his tail and go sauntering off across the field, 
soon returning empty-handed. 

One day he persisted in his barking until his master dropped 
his work and went to see if it was the king snake or some 
member of the poisonous species. By the time he arrived at a 
point from which he could view the quarrel clearly, the dog 
made a savage assault upon the king snake. Seizing him about 
the mid-section he shook him with such violence that he made 
his tail crack like a platted rawhide cow whip. His master 
commanded him to let go, which he promptly did. Now the 
king snake’s flesh is as tough as platted piano wire, while his 
skin is sleek and loose. Consequently he had suffered no in¬ 
jury as a result of the rough handling the dog had given him. 


229 


230 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


He was in the proper mood for returning the dog’s call. He 
made a rush for the dog, completely encircling his four legs 
and then tied the knot, throwing the dog squarely upon his 
back in less time than is required to tell the story. While the 
dog was struggling he quickly transferred his grip to the body 
of the dog, then winding himself tightly about his neck. He 
was slowly strangling the dog to death when the other dog 
arrived upon the scene. Being witness to his hunting buddy’s 
sad predicament, he rushed up, got a firm hold upon the snake 
and drew him off the neck of his hunting partner. His master 
said to the dogs, in a commanding tone: “Now you boys break 
it up—come on and leave that snake alone.” The snake was 
willing enough to permit the fight to stand as a draw bout. 


“AND A LITTLE CHILD SHALL LEAD THEM” 

It so happened in this case that instead of leading the brute 
he was driving him, when his mother came upon the scene and 
delivered her little son from a situation which she felt sure 
would have resulted in certain death had she not arrived upon 
the scene in the nick of time. 

In the cool of the afternoon one hot summer day she sent 
her little son down the lane to drive her milch cow home, lest 
she stray away with her neighbor’s cattle to another corral. 
On his way home he came upon a six-foot diamond-back. Being 
too young and inexperienced—not knowing what rattlesnakes 
were good for—he drew near for a good look, believing him 
to be about the cutest little fellow he had ever seen. In his 
childish way of thinking about things he concluded that he 
would drive him home and keep him to play with. He had 
observed his father working with the ox and, for one of his 
years, had gained a pretty good idea of how to make the 
creatures do his way. When dad wanted the ox to go forward 
he would tap him behind with the whip, and if he wanted him 
to turn left he would tap him upon the right side of his neck, 
so he concluded that he would proceed in like fashion and 
drive this fellow on to the cowpen. So, he got himself a keen 
gall-shrub switch and tapped him gently upon the tail, and, 
imitating his “pop” as best he could, said “Giddap.” The 
reptile commenced moving, but not exactly in the direction he 
wanted him to go. Going around front, he tapped him about 
the side of the neck, saying, “Haw, Red.” By tapping him 
again upon the tail, with the customary “Giddap,” he soon 
had him inside the lane, going along nicely, when “mom” 
came down the lane to see what was delaying her little son, 
making an end of such companionship. 

In infested territory such an experience may come to anyone, 
any time. The intelligent reader is bound to ask himself or 
herself, “What would I do if this should happen to me?” 
We would advise keeping as nearly under perfect control as 
possible and, in the vernacular of the seafaring man, keep to 
the leeward (not the windward) of the two, gently enticing 
the little one away from the danger. 


231 


UNCLE DAVE MEETS HIS MATCH—ALMOST 

Much has been said already about the giant rattler who had 
grown to such proportions, become so wise, courageous and 
self-confident that none would challenge him single-handed 
unless odds be in their favor by being in possession of firearms 
at the time of the encounter. It had always so happened that 
none who ever chanced to meet up with him were thus equipped. 
Many had positively declined to engage him in battle. The 
horseman, whose thrilling duel with him has been related in 
detail in an earlier chapter, freely admitted that dealing with 
the old wizard of the wiregrass was by no means a one-man 
job. On a half-dozen occasions men had come upon him face 
to face, bowing themselves out of his presence with the Jap¬ 
anese apology, “So sorry.” 

Strange as it might sound to the reader, Uncle Dave and 
this particular rattler had a few things in common. In the first 
place, according to the old gentleman’s best reckoning, they 
both first saw the light of day about the year of General Lee’s 
surrender. Their trails first crossed about the year 1880. 
During the sixty years which followed, their trails were des¬ 
tined to cross at frequent intervals, but as Uncle Dave put it, 
“I was always just a little early, or a little late.” Uncle Dave 
respected “01’ Diamond Joe,” as he had come to call him, and 
I suppose that if all the truth were known the latter respected 
him also. It is but natural that two such valiant fighters should 
respect each other; then, too, both were adepts at the art of 
fishing, and both great lovers of the chase. This old gentle¬ 
man’s keenness of observation enabled him to recognize his 
adversary’s trail each time he came upon it. Now, the ques¬ 
tion should not be asked how he knew for certain that it was 
the trail of the same reptile—he just knew. With the passing 
of time 01’ Diamond Joe continued growing in stature until 
his trail exceeded in breadth all of his fellow creatures of the 
wiregrass region, thus his trail became less and less difficult to 
identify. Now 01’ Diamond Joe did not go about deliberately 
courting any trouble with this old battler of rattlers, but if 
the latter thought for one minute that he would retire him from 


232 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


233 


circulation—intimidate him into abandonment of his foraging, 
then he simply reckoned without his host. Yes, if it came to 
such pass he would dare dispute the way with the Lord of 
Creation. Not unlike Satan, his counterpart, he would dare go 
to and fro upon the earth and walk up and down in it. 

On one occasion the old gentleman trailed him six miles 
down a sand ridge fringing a large creek, but it is evident that 
the one pursued gained knowledge of the fact that the enemy 
of the rattler clan was upon his trail, consequently evoked 
some of his master strategy. With evident humiliation Uncle 
Dave was compelled to admit that the old rascal had outwitted 
him, and the only consolation he could offer himself was the 
thought that there would be other days. 

The rattler’s strategy, after all, was very simple. He evi¬ 
dently gained the knowledge that he was being pursued and 
changed his course abruptly, getting away from the sand de¬ 
posits and upon the wiregrass where he would leave no tell¬ 
tale signs. 

Had it been possible for the reader to enjoy a ringside 
seat, viewing the maneuvers of the rattler as he vainly en¬ 
deavored to throw his pursuer off his trail, it would have 
proved a terrifying spectacle. Those familiar with the latter’s 
habits know that under such circumstances he will often stand 
almost upon the end of his tail, thus gaining the height of the 
average man. This makes it possible for him to see for a half- 
mile or more in all directions. The information thus gained 
is as valuable to him as the knowledge gained by an army 
utilizing the services of reconnaissance planes—to spy upon the 
enemy’s activities and movements. Many would believe that 
it would be an act of sheer suicide for a rattler to rear up to 
such heights from the brown wiregrass. However, little as 
the average person would believe it, nine persons in ten would 
pass within ten feet of him, taking no notice whatever, believ¬ 
ing that what he saw was nothing more than the stump of 
some broken-off oak tree. Such perfect control baffles the mind 
—how one can hold himself so motionless. Having taken note 
of them in such a posture, it is our considered opinion that 
their bodies or necks do not move one one-hundredth part of 


234 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


an inch. When they have seen what they wanted to see, or have 
satisfied themselves that all was well, they lower themselves to 
the ground exactly as they reared themselves—on an absolute 
perpendicular, and by slow-motion. Any quick side movement 
might betray their presence or attract the notice of an enemy, 
thus leading to a fatal investigation. 

The opportunity Uncle Dave had long sought came to him 
at a moment when he least suspected—when he entertained not 
the slightest suspicion that the ONE diamond-back he most 
wanted was just around the corner. He had come forth from 
his cold quarters and was treating himself to a sun bath in the 
balmy spring sunshine, just to the rear of the entrance to his 
gopher hole den. At the very sight of his most dreaded enemy 
he seemed to recall that this was none other than the one he 
eluded by less than a stone’s throw on a former occasion, many 
years previous. From the start he resisted in a most deter¬ 
mined manner, opposing every effort to apply the halter. 
Finding himself with the noose firmly about his neck, he strug¬ 
gled with more determination than any rattler the old gentle¬ 
man had ever encountered, finally breaking the string with 
which he was bound. Now he was thoroughly enraged over 
the very thought that any man would attempt to thus humble 
his pride. Rearing his head to a height of two feet or more, 
he began singing his rattles violently, while weaving back and 
forth in a most menacing manner, in the face of which Uncle 
Dave gave ground until he could prepare another noose. Re¬ 
turning to the fray, the old gentleman soon had him in harness 
again. He struggled and thrashed the ground with such violence 
that he broke off fully one-half of his long string of rattles, but 
all to no avail. Feeling that he now had him somewhat subdued, 
Uncle Dave commenced dragging him toward an open spot 
of ground, but little realizing the thoughts that were taking 
definite form in the old wizard’s mind. Passing between two 
large shrub oaks, the rattler suddenly threw his giant form 
into a broad “S,” thus binding his body between the two oaks. 
At the same instant, timing the two maneuvers perfectly, he 
gave a determined jerk against the .string, breaking the noose 
a second time. His anger now knew no bounds. Uncle Dave 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


235 


recalled the words of the horseman, “Dealing with this fellow 
was not a one-man job.” The strategy he employed was abso¬ 
lutely uncanny. From the front he kept his adversary com¬ 
pletely occupied, but at the same time he executed such a 
maneuver as he advanced that his antagonist was steadily 
being backed into a dense growth of ty-ty shrubs not more 
than ten feet distant, where he hoped that he would become 
trapped, thus permitting him to attack and then gain the un¬ 
derbrush. Now, Uncle Dave was not the type of adversary to 
be taken in by such strategy. He knew the mind of rattlers 
so well that when he found himself in a tough spot he would 
reason from the standpoint of the diamond-back himself, ask¬ 
ing, “If I were a rattler, just what would I do?” Having the 
answer in hand he would prepare himself to guard against 
just that. By the application of such mental processes he de¬ 
termined in an instant of time that the above was the rattler’s 
plan of attack. Having satisfied his mind, and he did not have 
long to make a decision, he stooped low, making a lightning- 
like stroke at his neck, on a parallel with the earth, to make 
sure of eliminating the possibility of a miss. He laid his ad¬ 
versary low. As he stood over him, viewing him as he writhed 
in his dying agony, his face registered no sign whatever of 
strain, neither the slightest fear, but did show unmistakable 
evidence of mingled emotions. He said simply and apologet¬ 
ically, as though addressing his remarks to his dying foe, 
“Didn’t mean to hit you that hard, ye ol’ imp o’ Satan—jes 
meant to take some o’ the fight out’n ye.”* 


♦See sketch, page 134. 



CAMPING ON THE SATILLA 


A friend and I once spent an evening together at a camp 
upon the banks of the Satilla River at a point not so distant 
from its mouth. We made it a point to reach our destination 
in time to unload and arrange all stores and equipment, thus 
permitting early retirement, in anticipation of a strenuous day’s 
fishing on the morrow. 

The evening passed without event. Of course, we were ser¬ 
enaded throughout the night by the song of katydids, the hoot 
of the fish-owl (or guard-head), and the bellowing of bull 
alligators up and down the river, along with such other noc¬ 
turnal creatures as infest the river swamp in that particular 
locality. We were prepared for all this, consequently thought 
nothing of it. Mention might be made of the fact that my 
friend was wholly unaccustomed to the wild and wily creatures, 
remaining awake almost the whole night enjoying the serenade. 
Before the break of day we were awakened by the noise of 
him stoking the stove, making preparation to fry the eggs and 
country ham, brown the toast, and brew some coffee. Now, 
while it may require the skill of Brazilians to grow fine coffee, 
the skill of my friend stood us in good stead when it came to 
brewing it—the two combined left no “grounds” for complaint. 
It presently became evident that I would get no more sleep 
that night—the atmosphere in our little cabin had already 
reached the saturation point with the aroma from this country 
ham and coffee. Lacking words of our own to adequately 
describe the sensation, we shall have to invite, or resort to the 
skill of the darkey we once heard describing its effect upon the 
human constitution: “De inflooence uv its aroma sho do agi¬ 
tate de soul.” 

Opening wide the window beside the bed, we were afforded 
an unobstructed view of the river channel and the moss-draped 
live oaks abounding in the river hummock on the farther shore. 
The faintest gray was beginning to tint the eastern skies her¬ 
alding the dawn of another day. Soon the fan-like beams from 
the early morning sun were piercing the skies, comparing at 


236 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


237 


least slightly with that sublimest spectacle of all the universe, 
the Aurora Borealis. This was the one brief half-hour of the 
day when we would most have liked to be left wholly to our 
thoughts, but it was not so ordered. 

Just at that instant something not more than one hundred 
feet from our cabin uttered a loud, unearthly wail. Having 
heard it on more than one occasion before, I knew instantly 
what it was, but maintained absolute silence, observing the 
reaction of my friend. I knew for sure that if silence was main¬ 
tained that the call would be repeated in about ten seconds. It 
so happened, and it had the appearance that my friend would 
go into a panic. He described it as the siren on a bicycle, 
starting on the lower notes and quickly ascending the scale, 
then shutting off abruptly, followed with a short but distinct 
“Tu.” He described the mating call of the diamond-back about 
as accurately as one could, when uttered at close range. I asked 
my friend if he had the slightest idea what it could have been. 
He had not the slightest idea. Being told what it was, he 
could not believe it. Being a well-read man, he confessed that 
he had never before heard of such thing. 

The story, after all, is a very simple one. No one, not even 
the Indian, could succeed in slipping up on a diamond-back 
uttering his dawn call, so delicate is his sense of hearing. It 
being in late August, the beginning of their annual mating 
season, he was simply going up the river hummock courting, 
hoping that he might succeed in whistling up a bride. He evi¬ 
dently traveled in darkness the night before, and by chance 
struck camp right by the side of us at the end of his day’s 
journey. 

While our conversation was conducted in an undertone at 
the time he commenced calling, it is quite evident that he over¬ 
heard our conversation and signed off promptly. It is the con¬ 
tention of the scientific world that reptiles do not have ears. 
This may be true, but we insist that if they do not, then they 
have something much better than the human ear. It can be 
as truthfully said that the radio has no ears, yet it readily 
picks up a conversation held in an undertone all the way from 
New York to San Francisco. This delicate piece of mechanism 


238 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


catches the electrical vibrations all the way across the con¬ 
tinent, transforming them into sound at the receiving end. It 
is the belief of the writer that the nervous system of the 
diamond-back is equally as delicate, and serves in like manner 
as the antennae of the modern radio, and in like manner trans¬ 
forms all vibrations into sound through the aid of some hidden 
inner organ. Their sense of hearing is indeed most sensitive, 
and it is equally evident that they recognize instantly the dif¬ 
ference between sounds. 


JUST IN CASE— 

Attempting to lend comfort to anyone unfortunate enough 
to be bitten by a diamond-back rattler is a most difficult task, 
consequently we make the approach thoroughly conscious of 
this fact. Uncle Dave’s favorite remedy is, destroy the reptile 
before the attack occurs, basing such recommendations upon 
the universally accepted philosophy that “An ounce of prevem 
tion is worth a pound of cure.” By a sensible and practical 
application of the lessons we have attempted to teach herein 
90 per cent of these terrible brutes could easily and safely be 
destroyed within a period of five years. This being true, then 
90 per cent of their attacks made upon members of the human 
family, dogs, and cattle should be prevented. Approach this 
dread reptile from any angle you may choose—apply any rule 
you may elect to employ, and you are compelled to admit that 
for ferocity of attack, deadliness and unflinching determina¬ 
tion, he stands without a peer among the deadly reptiles of 
the whole world. Little wonder the Seminole and Creek In¬ 
dians called him “Grandfather and king of snakes.” His huge 
fangs and enormous poison glands represent the maximum 
degree of deadliness attained by serpents. The well-known 
and terrible bushmaster of tropical South America attains a 
larger size than the diamond-back, and consequently has larger 
fangs, but the opening at the tip of the fang is not nearly so 
large in the bushmaster. His other rival is the king cobra of 
India, but this is a slender snake, not nearly so large, and 
though attaining a length of sixteen feet, his fangs are barely 
one-third of an inch in length. 

Experts will tell you that the diamond-back’s fangs attain a 
length of seven-eighths of an inch. Uncle Dave will tell you 
that he is positive that he has noosed them with fangs measur¬ 
ing a full inch in length, and others who aided him in the cap¬ 
ture of this particular giant make similar assertions. One- 
eighth of an inch is not important, but the length of their fangs 
present a problem upon which life or death hinges. With forty 
drops of their venom deposited three-quarters of an inch below 
the surface of the skin the victim has little to hope for. If, 


239 


240 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


unfortunately, one of his fangs should penetrate a vein, then 
no hope remains. The layman has no way of knowing, of 
course, and the situation being a desperate one, any person 
present may perform a crude operation without fear of prose¬ 
cution by the courts should he lose his patient. In the January 
issue ( 1909 ) of Outing magazine, Dr. Raymond L. Ditmars of 
the New York Zoological Society offers the following simple 
remedy. Space herein not permitting the publication of the 
article in its entirety, we offer our readers the substance of it, 
reduced to our own language: 

First Aid 

Any person who travels about in a snake-infested country 
should carry certain articles with him in case of accident. A 
list of these may be summed up as follows: a hypodermic syr¬ 
inge; a rubber ligature; several sharp scalpels, or a razor; a 
small jar of antiseptic gauze; material for outside bandage 
which may be ordinary cheesecloth made clean by boiling; a 
vial of permanganate of potassium crystals, and several tubes 
of antivenen serum. 

If a bite is received, it is usually upon some part of the arm 
or leg, and everything depends upon performing the first two 
operations with care, and without delay. First, apply a liga¬ 
ture two inches above the bite, that is, between the bite and the 
heart, to prevent the circulation of the poisoned blood. The 
ligature should be carried at all times where your hands may 
be laid upon it without a second’s loss of time. Next, open 
up the fang punctures to their full depth by cutting. Make 
two cuts over each fang wound. These incisions should cross 
each other. This cutting starts a flow of the poisoned blood 
which should be helped as much as possible by violent rubbing. 
If there are no sores upon the lips or inside the mouth the 
blood may be sucked away, and thus much venom removed 
from the wounds. If a stream is nearby wash the wounds 
thoroughly, then bathe them repeatedly in a solution composed 
of permanganate of potash crystals. In preparing such solu¬ 
tion, crystals should be added to the-water until it becomes a 
deep wine color. 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


241 


If no doctor is available, the antitoxin should now be in¬ 
jected by means of the hypodermic syringe, preferably under¬ 
neath the skin of the abdomen. After the wounds have been 
thoroughly bled and washed with the permanganate, the liga¬ 
ture may be removed, but not until every effort has been made 
to drain all the venom from the bitten part, by suction and 
massaging. These things being done, go to the nearest doctor. 
Grave symptoms beyond the power of laymen to combat may 
develop. 

If a doctor is out of the question, the wounds should be kept 
absolutely clean, as tissue that has been weakened by venom is 
very likely to develop blood poisoning. Small bits of gauze 
should be packed into the wounds to keep them open and 
draining, and over these should be laid a gauze dressing, kept 
wet with a good antiseptic solution. These dressings should 
be kept wet and the wounds opened for at least a week, no 
matter how well the vitcim may appear to be. 

The rubber ligature should be released entirely for one 
minute out of fifteen. If the swelling appears above the point 
where the ligature was first placed, then simply move the liga¬ 
ture up and secure it again, between the swollen part and the 
heart. Make new incisions in the swollen flesh and continue 
the massaging. Every ounce of blood that can be forced out 
of this swollen flesh increases the chance of recovery of the 
victim, since it contains venom, and should be kept from the 
body and the general circulation. 

A layman performing such operation as the occasion re¬ 
quires might accidentally sever a small artery, but this should 
not cause the victim to go into a panic. Should this happen it 
would be noticed immediately since the blood would flow in 
spurts, each spurt timed with the beat of the heart. To stop 
the flow of blood find some hard object and place it under the 
ligature just above where the spurting blood appears. 

Any person feeling the need of such first-aid kit should con¬ 
sult their family physician or druggist in making a selection of 
these items, and at the same time ask additional information 
on points not perfectly clear to them. It is stated on what 
appears to be good authority that only two victims out of one 


242 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


hundred are lost where these simple instructions are followed. 

When a diamond-back fangs a rabbit for food, such action 
is usually accompanied by a violent whir of the rattles. Such 
action on the reptile’s part has a very definite purpose—he 
knows well that the greater fright he gives the rabbit the faster 
he will run, and the faster he runs the quicker he will fall. The 
physical exertion, plus the effect of the terrible fright he re¬ 
ceives causes his heart to run wild, thus distributing the venom 
quickly throughout the system. If members of the human 
family could, by sheer will power, manage to keep themselves 
somewhat under control, avoiding the mistake of the rabbit— 
just sit down upon the spot and administer themselves first-aid 
as recommended herein, then fatalities among victims of the 
rattler’s bite would be reduced to a minimum. 

Some members of the medical profession advise against the 
use of permanganate of potassium, but common sense would 
certainly suggest the use of some form of antiseptic. One aged 
physician who had enjoyed an extensive practice throughout a 
lifetime confided to me that medical men knew practically 
nothing about the treatment of snake bite, anyway. Bathing 
the wound will keep the blood flowing freely, a thing much 
desired. Blood permitted to accumulate upon the wound will 
clot and stop the flow. 


MY DIAMOND-BACK NEIGHBOR 


It does not add to one’s comfort, but in the infested terri¬ 
tory it may happen to anyone, any time. Sometimes such rela¬ 
tionship may be known to the human party to such an associa¬ 
tion but ofttimes the latter is wholly unaware that he has a 
large diamond-back for a next-door neighbor. I first became 
aware that I had such a neighbor when I was awakened one 
morning at dawn by his wailing mating call. 

During the forenoon of the day on which such terrifying 
call was first heard I distinctly observed his trail across a set¬ 
tlement road near my little cabin where there was a deep de¬ 
posit of drift sand. It led into a dense growth of briars, wild 
grapevines and gall shrubs within one hundred feet of my 
little cabin, and adjacent to a regular jungle fringing a small 
creek. Hunting him during the summer months being entirely 
too hazardous an undertaking, we were conscious of no wrong 
in permitting him to remain there for a brief season. At the 
proper time he would come forth of his own accord to find a 
comfortable gopher hole for his winter home. Then, with 
some help, I planned bagging both him and his mate. Maybe, 
during his residence just on the other side of my back yard 
fence, in such a wild locality, I would have opportunity to learn 
more of his arts in the wild state. 

It was not a bad bet. The first thing I noticed out of him 
was that he desisted from his loud wailing no sooner than he 
learned that he had a close human neighbor. What place would 
he choose along this wild creek to make his headquarters, we 
wondered? It did not take long to acquire this useful bit of 
information. Now there were some pecan trees up on the hill¬ 
side, long abandoned but still producing. There was a bulge 
in the creek which brought it and the orchard very close to¬ 
gether, and on the hillside between the two was a spring place 
which never went dry. Cat squirrels had the habit of entering 
the orchard and returning to the swamp at this point. All 
factors seemed to combine to make this a spot highly suited to 
his needs. It seemed that he did not lose any time making the 


243 


244 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


observation that this was a regular squirrel trail. Then, too, 
rabbits, wood rats, and bullfrogs frequented this spring place 
which promised to provide adequately for his needs during the 
remaining part of late summer and fall. 

Now, some may ask how I came to know that he was about 
this spot, inasmuch as I never saw him—not even his trail 
again. To answer such query involves one of his most inter¬ 
esting secrets. Seeing that it would be most indiscreet to wail 
too loudly and long, he adopted the note of birds chirping. It 
is rather significant that such chirping so closely resembled 
other birds common to this locality that all but the closest 
observers would be completely deceived by this old wizard. 
For days and weeks he would conceal his physical being within 
this dense tangle, and would endeavor to conceal his identity 
behind the chirping of birds he so perfectly imitated. On pre¬ 
vious occasions when I had definitely identified his call, it was 
never uttered in broad daylight, but now notice was taken of 
the fact that he was employing a wholly different note and 
might be heard almost any hour of the day. 

On occasions he would go deep into the swamp, squirrel 
hunting, and could be heard chirping continuously until a late 
hour of the night, always calling to his mate from the same 
spot for a whole day and night. Then, in all probability, he 
would next be heard two or three hundred feet from this spot. 
When the neighbor’s boys, with squirrel dogs, commenced 
hunting inside the swamp he would, for the sake of safety, 
come back up on the hillside to the spring place. One might 
walk down to the spring as silently as a Seminole, but would 
never get a glimpse of the bird he thought he was hearing. 
Ladies of the household would report hearing a rustling noise 
in the undergrowth as he stole away through the underbrush 
silently as a slippered monk. It did not take long to definitely 
establish the fact that he entertained little fear of lady mem¬ 
bers of the household, but would chirp as loud as he pleased, 
and as long as he cared to, when the premises were guarded 
by the latter. 

On one occasion he filled me with a very definite suspicion 
that he actually imitated the barking of cat squirrels for the 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


245 


purpose of drawing them near to him, but it was not quite 
proved to my own satisfaction, hence I shall not pass it on to 
my readers as an established fact, but it certainly is worth keep¬ 
ing in mind. Now, gentlemen of scientific bodies might seek 
to disprove such contentions by dissecting a rattler. Finding 
no vocal cords, the whole idea would surely be dismissed from 
further consideration. The true secret lies in the fact that he 
does not need such—he has one of the most perfect and in¬ 
genious whistlers imaginable. If the reader has the courage 
to look one in the face from a distance of twelve inches or so, 
he will observe that his lips do not fit tightly together, but 
rather form a sort of “Cupid’s bow,” the edges being formed 
by the scales of his upper and lower lips, the same possessing 
a cutting edge. When this fellow fully inflates his long and 
spacious lungs he can play you a tune comparing favorably 
with the Scotsman and his bagpipe. 

Man is full of pride by reason of his achievement in every 
field of endeavor, but surely lays himself wide open to the most 
scathing indictment on this score. He has been living as close 
neighbor with the diamond-back since the day the Spaniards 
landed at Saint Augustine and Ponce de Leon initiated his ill- 
advised exploration into the heart of new America in quest of 
the fabulous Fountain of Youth. All of us, at best, are imita¬ 
tive creatures, learning quickly that which someone else has 
shown us, but fearing to venture out over unblazed paths. 
Almost every one who has spent much time in the wild, in the 
infested belt, has at some time or other heard the call of the 
rattler, but man lacks at least ONE essential faculty, i.e., that 
of tying together all the things which bear a definite relation¬ 
ship to each other, and thus compel such chain of circumstances 
to relate a true story. 

The call, or chirp, employed by the rattler during hours of 
daylight bears such a close relationship to that of many birds 
that I know that it is a rather difficult matter to reduce the 
same to writing, and by these means enable the reader to iden¬ 
tify it without being otherwise instructed. It bears a very close 
resemblance to the blue jay, yellow-hammer, or the call of the 
ordinary chicken-hawk, but is a perfect imitation of the Indian 


246 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


pullet, an inland water bird. It is very doubtful if the most 
skilled observer or investigator would be able to distinguish 
between the two. The pitch, intonation, and the length, or 
duration of the call, is identical with that of the Indian pullet. 
But the chicken hawk being almost universally known, I shall 
use his call in making comparisons. The pitch and intonation 
of the two are identical. The duration is wherein the difference 
lies. The daytime call of the rattler represents an almost in¬ 
divisible portion of the duration of the hawk’s call, “Tee-r,” 
more of a chirp, as one will see, than a call. The accent is 
almost wholly upon the first syllable. 

Rural residents throughout the deep South, being armed 
with the above information, once having learned to identify 
the rattler’s call, should find it an easy matter to rid their 
premises of the menace of their presence. Even a mongrel 
dog can very easily be trained to hunt them down, thus reliev¬ 
ing his master of the danger of such a hazardous sport. 

But let’s return to my two rattler neighbors. They remained 
with me from the middle of August until about the first of 
October, and then took their leave for parts unknown. As 
proof of their appreciation of my hospitality, they left their 
family of little ones scattered all up and down this rough 
stream, which caused me to tread with caution for many years 
to come. 


HOOP-SNAKES 


So little is known of the wild life of most reptiles, and so 
deep-rooted are myths and superstitions in the minds of most 
people that it is a difficult task to disentangle them and learn 
the whole truth concerning their natural habits. All reptiles 
are “crowd-shy,” and since they refuse to pose for the photog¬ 
rapher it therefore becomes necessary to piece together the 
combined observations of legions of laymen, provided one is 
to construct a true picture of such wily creatures. Such under¬ 
taking requires the patience and skill of one endeavoring to 
put in order the numerous parts of a jig-saw puzzle. 

Whether or not a hoop-snake (or horn-snake, if you prefer) 
really rolls like a hoop when making an attack is a highly con¬ 
troversial question. Reports to this effect have been current 
among laymen since General Oglethorpe established his colony 
in this part of the South, but scholarly men deny the truth of 
it. This interesting reptile is all but extinct, but once in a 
decade these snake hunters with whom I have been on many a 
thrilling jaunt, unearth one. Their natural habitat and that of 
the rattler being the same, their winter quarters are usually 
the gopher holes upon the sand ridges and shrub-oak hummocks 
adjacent to streams along the coastal plains. All the while 
that I was engaged in pursuing “myths” (which turned out to 
be the truth) about the rattler I would be quietly inquiring 
into this alleged habit of the hoop-snake. Among all the ob¬ 
servers who testified so freely concerning their observations of 
the rattler I failed to find one who would make a statement on 
his honor, or give an affidavit that he had ever witnessed such 
a performance. While everyone believed it, none would testify 
that they had ever seen it. This convinced me that all those 
who had given testimony against the rattler did not manufac¬ 
ture their stories out of whole cloth. However, I knew one 
venerable old gentleman who witnessed such action, and who 
related the details to Uncle Dave, but at the time I became 
interested in the “myth” this observer had died—thus ended 
my pursuit of this will-o’-the-wisp. 

A Northern soldier who was sent to a Georgia camp for 


247 


248 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


training during World War I had heard this interesting story 
but did not know what to do with it. On his return to the 
North he directed a written inquiry to one of the most cele¬ 
brated reptile experts in the U. S., asking whether or not such 
report was true. The reply he received was very brief: “No 
reputable scientist has ever witnessed such action.” Such state¬ 
ment is fair enough, and is strictly in line with what has been 
said throughout this volume, and that is that when it comes to 
acquiring complete knowledge of the practices of reptiles, in 
the wild state, the scientist simply does not have a chance. 

In this connection the reader is asked to consider the chryso- 
pelea ornata (or, to most laymen, the flying snake) of India 
and Malaya. He is usually very dark in color with yellow dots 
in the center of each scale, with a series of red-centered yellow 
flowers along the back. This reptile earned his name by reason 
of his ability to glide from tree to tree in the manner of the 
flying squirrel, or to descend from dizzy heights without in¬ 
jury. To accomplish such feat his body is held straight and 
rigid, his ribs pushed outward to their full length, and with the 
abdomen so drawn in as to form a concave surface. Assuming 
such a posture, his body serves as a parachute, so cushioning 
his landing that he could descend from inconceivable heights 
without experiencing the slightest discomfort. 

For my own part I can see nothing unreasonable nor un¬ 
believable about the story of the hoop-snake. The versatility 
of nature’s creatures is so universally acknowledged that, in 
our judgment, none but the most reckless expert would deny 
their ability to perform in this way or that. 


BRIEF NOTES 


What Length Does the Diamond-Back Attainf This is a 
question on which there is a great divergence of opinion on the 
part of laymen. Professional students of reptiles agree that 
the maximum length attained is not more than eight and one- 
half feet. Many truthful laymen have affirmed that they have 
slain them measuring fully ten feet. While there appears to 
the reader to be a very great discrepancy as regards the opin¬ 
ions of the laymen and experts yet the same can be readily 
reconciled. It all depends on the rule employed in determining 
their length. The rattler shares at least one characteristic in 
common with the eel-worm, that of contracing his form, or 
stretching out to great length. When one is poised for combat it 
appears that he gathers himself together in such manner that 
his length would not be more than one-half normal. This gives 
him a strategic advantage over his adversary—he has a much 
shorter line to defend. Such physical feat is accomplished by 
forming his body into several large crooks, while his spine, 
within each of such segments, is formed into innumerable small 
crooks. In such a posture the length of the largest specimen 
does not appear to be more than four feet. Leave him to him¬ 
self until he relaxes and commences crawling away and he in¬ 
stantly lengthens to six feet. Hang him by the neck overnight 
and the same reptile will be found to measure eight feet or 
more in the morning. So, what is the answer? 

The Gopher, Landowner’s Best Friend. There is not a more 
harmless creature to be found anywhere, yet he has developed 
many enemies of the human kind which he never deserved. He 
subsists wholly upon wild herbs, refraining from invading the 
farmer’s fields and foraging upon his crops, yet they are sought 
for food, used for fishbait, while some wantonly and mali¬ 
ciously destroy their eggs, seemingly for the pleasure derived 
from destroying the wild life of the land. 

Left to themselves to lead their natural lives they build such 
inviting burrows within the dry areas that the rattler is enticed 
to them by reason of the added comfort he enjoys there. Other¬ 
wise he would find a place of hibernation inside the swamps 


249 


250 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


where he would find safety during all seasons of the year. 

It’s Safer to Really Know the Rattler. A reliable informant 
related this brief but tragic story of an old gentleman who was 
employed to hunt down and destroy rattlers for a large land- 
owner along the Ocmulgee River on a per capita basis. By 
chance he happened upon a veritable gold mine one day— 
twenty or more little ones not more than six or seven inches 
in length, piled upon each other in a tangled mass enjoying the 
warm sunshine of early summer. Having a 22 cal. rifle with 
him at the time he commenced picking them off one at a time, 
maneuvering about to find a favorable shooting position, finally 
stepping squarely upon the mother. This unfortunate old gen¬ 
tleman was uninformed on just one seemingly unimportant 
point, but it cost him his life. Baby rattlers are not weaned 
until they attain a length of at least twelve inches. When en¬ 
countered in numbers at such an immature age, one may rest 
assured that the mother is conveniently near, keeping a watch¬ 
ful eye over them. 

Mention has been made of the fact elsewhere that every one 
of nature’s creatures, no matter how wily, have one or more 
inherent weaknesses. It would therefore appear the part of 
wisdom for those hunting any specie to make a painstaking 
study of such weakness. When hunters located them in a 
gopher hole they often save themselves much labor by placing 
obstructions in the mouth of the hole. On the first warm, fair 
day during winter or early spring, he will come up until he 
encounters the obstruction and coil there. By marking such 
holes the hunter can return on a favorable day and bag them 
with very little effort. There is not much danger of them bur¬ 
rowing out before the first of March. 

When infested territory has been burned over during Janu¬ 
ary, February, and the early part of March, rattlers leave their 
holes, because of their barren surroundings, and will seek more 
favorable homes. On such occasions it is a simple matter to 
trail them to their new quarters. The ground being littered 
with new ashes, they make a trail which can be followed with 


ease. 



CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


251 


Anyone familiar with the diamond-back knows that he will 
run for the underbrush no sooner than one turns their back 
upon him to search for a stick or pole. It has been reported 
on good authority that if one’s hat or coat is thrown down 
by the side of his coil he will remain upon the ground for a 
reasonable length of time. If true, the same constitutes an¬ 
other weakness in his armor, and is worth keeping in mind. 

It is almost universally believed that hogs possess a natural 
immunity to the venom of the rattler, but the idea is a mistaken 
one. It all depends upon where the hog is bitten, and the 
amount of fat he carries at the time of the attack. If the 
venom be embedded in pure fat where there is little if any blood 
circulation, then the creature suffers no harm, but if, for any 
reason, it enters the circulation, it kills the hog as quickly and 
as surely as it would any other wild animal. 

A farmer, well known to me, once related an interesting in¬ 
cident which serves to prove the point in question. He had a 
number of large hogs on a peanut field. Seeing them behaving 
in a peculiar manner, he went to investigate. There was evi¬ 
dence of a struggle of no little intensity, yet he could see noth¬ 
ing to provoke it. He clearly saw a large rattler fang ten of 
his hogs before he could intervene. Three of them died, while 
seven recovered from the attack. They were all bitten about 
the face or one the nose, where there is a minimum of fat. It 
is evident that the first three bitten were the ones receiving a 
fatal injection. The other seven received little if any venom, 
due to the fact that the rattler’s venom sacs were empty. 

This altercation led to another observation of considerable 
value. A very small pig was noticed loitering about the scene 
of the fracas, acting very much as though he had been doped— 
taking no interest whatever in the fight, later suffering from 
lost appetite and nausea. He was put up where he could be 
accorded special attention. The most appetizing food was pre¬ 
pared for him, and in about a week he had completely recov¬ 
ered from whatever it might have been that ailed him. He 
had not been fanged. That much was certain. All this left this 
observer very much in a quandary. 

He turned the little pig back into his field with a feeling 


252 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


that all was well with him, and it would have been had he not 
returned to the scene of this near tragedy and committed the 
same error again. Night was now drawing nigh and his little 
pig had not returned to his pen. Going out into the field to 
inquire into matters, he found him at the edge of a rough 
fencerow with head down, nose to nose with the mate of the 
rattler which had been slain on this same spot a week prior. 
He slew this great reptile and then had to take the pig in for 
further treatment. 

With this bit of information he could now piece together 
the whole story. The first cold nights of early fall had caught 
this rattler still on the range. He knew that he must be getting 
home, and time would not permit any long detours in order to 
avoid danger spots, no matter with what hazards his homeward 
journey was fraught. Such indiscretion led him straight 
through this farmer’s herd of swine. Thus two species of 
gluttons came face to face. Though already fat and sleek, he 
could not resist the temptation to pause and indulge himself 
with another meal of tender pork chops. He had the little pig 
in the act of succumbing to the power of his charm when the 
herd of swine came upon the scene and then the table was 
turned about. 


The reader could, provided he cared to trouble himself, set 
the scientific world right in regard to three habits which he 
practices in secret, but which men of science deny for the 
reason, as they say, “No reputable scientist has ever witnessed 
such action.” One of his secrets, which is very much a secret, 
is his mating call. With the description of the call given herein 
any reader should be able to definitely identify it, and with long 
and painstaking effort be able to make a recording of it with 
the aid of a portable sound recording device. 

Another of the rattler’s secrets which has never been photo¬ 
graphed is that of swallowing their young to safeguard them 
from danger. This should be a very simple matter when the 
opportunity ever comes to the reader. All that would be neces¬ 
sary would be to capture the female rattler and her family of 
little ones and imprison them in some place where conditions 



CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


253 


necessary to dear photography are good, and then await your 
opportunity. 

The third is the power of the rattler to kill, or to reduce to 
unconsciousness little victims on which they level their deadly 
concentration. I, for one, do not believe that their victims are 
dead, but, like the spider, are lulled into hypnotic slumber. 
The black wasp certainly has that power, as the writer can 
personally testify. Only one person in a million among those 
living in infested territory would ever come upon a rattler and 
his victim at just the opportune time. The opportunity will 
sooner or later come to some reader, and when it does they 
could lay the rabbit or squirrel away and keep such victim of 
the rattler’s deadly charm under observation until the full 
truth is definitely established. These three secrets pertaining 
to natural life remain to be solved. Insofar as the writer 
knows, no person, either scientist or layman, has ever at¬ 
tempted to wrest these secrets from the reptile. 


This old battler of rattlers once came upon one that had 
just finished dining. When he had slain the brute he was prone 
to satisfy his curiosity to know just what he had caught. It 
proved to be a cat-squirrel. Being satisfied, he laid the squirrel 
in the fork of a great oak tree and continued chipping his 
boxes. A week later he passed the spot again, giving his tur¬ 
pentine faces their usual weekly streaking, and was amazed as 
he took note of the fact that there was no evidence whatever 
of decomposition. The squirrel remained there for weeks, 
never being attacked by anything, slowly perishing away, but 
never did exude that objectionable odor of decaying flesh. This 
incident provided occasion for more pondering for many weeks 
and years to come. 

Now that state of suspended animation among animals is so 
closely related to a trance known to members of the human 
family that the old gentleman has since wondered if the squir¬ 
rel’s major organs ceased functioning entirely during that very 
brief interim of time he was in the belly of the reptile—he has 
since wondered if he was actually dead, or if he was living on, 
in the same state the spider experiences when the black wasp 



254 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


has waved his magic wand before him, lulling him into peaceful 
slumber for as long a period as six months. Like the writer, 
he admits that he does not know for sure, but just the same he 
is not willing to write it off as being utterly without foundation 
—at least not for a while yet. All the evidence seems to point 
to the fact that the rattler can, provided it suited his conveni¬ 
ence to do so, put squirrels, rabbits, and rodents to sleep and 
keep them in that state all summer long. 

A party of young men once went out determined to learn 
something of Uncle Dave’s art of putting the halter on rattlers. 
They were full of enthusiasm and self confidence, but woefully 
lacking in discretion. They found signs about a hole indicating 
that one was surely living there. They gave the outside sur¬ 
roundings the “once-over” just to see if he was outside sunning 
himself, but seeing nothing they commenced excavating. Two 
men working together inside a square hole nearly shoulder 
deep were making satisfactory progress. Little did they realize 
it, but a large diamond-back was not far away, completely con¬ 
cealed underneath a tuft of wiregrass. Finally he became so 
very nervous that he had a sudden urge to go home. When 
they break out of their coil to run for their hole they go like 
a purple martin for his gourd. He piled into the hole with the 
two men, both of whom will tell you to this day that it was 
the most uncomfortable moment of their entire lives. They 
finished their rattler hunting that same day. 


An attempt has already been made to give the reader a clear 
idea of the rattler’s method of locomotion. Those who have 
seen the “thousand-leg” worm, common to the Southern states, 
in motion, can very easily get a mental picture of the rattler’s 
internal equipment in action. The “thousand-leg” is a worm 
with a hard outer shell, attaining a length of about four inches, 
and about the size of the average lead pencil. He is equipped 
with a row of legs on both sides, as close together as they can 
be spaced, and extending all the way from their head to their 
tail. When in motion he crawls perfectly straight, but one 
cannot, for the life of them, tell just how he does it. All of 
the legs are in action the whole while, yet no two of them ever 
separate. Waves form at his head, moving his full length until 



CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


255 


they reach his other extremity. Several waves are visible at all 
times, all moving from his forepart to the rear, yet, as already 
stated, none of his legs ever separate at any point. His legs 
represent the ribs of the rattler. If the reader can imagine the 
“thousand-leg worm” wearing a garment like the rattler’s, 
with the end of his legs attached to the skin, and with cleats 
on the skin of his abdomen, then he would see the rattler’s 
equipment perfectly duplicated. 


DO SNAKES HAVE LEGS? 


The answer is, yes, but they can’t walk on them. This is a 
fact well known to the ancients, and Moses makes mention of 
the fact very briefly in the Book of Genesis. Zoologists tell us 
that they sprang from a lizard-like creature. Given sufficient 
time and an ever-changing environment, they finally discarded 
their legs, or at any rate now have them tucked away beneath 
their skin where they are invisible under ordinary circum¬ 
stances. When one has been run over and crushed by an auto¬ 
mobile or exposed to heat they sometimes appear. 

The joint-snake is a living example of one of these creatures 
which has not yet made the grade. He is no snake at all, but 
a legless lizard. People can be fooled as regards his true iden¬ 
tity very easily, but a tomcat can’t. They regard them as a 
delicacy and never permit one to pass by without hailing him. 
Yes, the joint-snake is indeed a queer creature. When he sud¬ 
denly finds himself face to face with a bloodthirsty enemy 
whom he knows full intends to slit his gullet, he flees for the 
grass or bushes, shaking his long, luscious tail, simply inviting 
a thrust at that particular part of his anatomy. When his 
pursuer, be it a catbird, hawk, or tomcat, lays hold upon that 
long and luscious appearing tail of his it snaps as though it 
were made of glass. Some call them glass snakes for this very 
reason. The broken-off piece of tail commences such a series 
of gymnastics that it requires the best efforts of a real athlete 
to capture and subdue it. While thus engaged the joint-snake 
takes the vital part of himself away to a safe hideout. He can 
grow another tail. True, it may not be quite so long nor as 
handsome as the original, but will serve him quite well in sim¬ 
ilar emergencies which may later arise. 


The question is asked repeatedly: “Do rattlers eat little 
creatures they fang?” Most assuredly. Nature equipped them 
with fangs and venom primarily for the purpose of enabling 
them to acquire food. True, they utilize such weapons for pur¬ 
poses of self-defense, but this is of secondary importance. 
Venom taken internally would injure no one, provided the 


256 



CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


257 


mouth and alimentary tract be free from ulcers. It is the con¬ 
dition it sets up in the blood which produces fatal results. 
There are many elements, all harmless under ordinary circum¬ 
stances, which would produce death if injected into the circu¬ 
lation, not that they are necessarily poisonous, but rather that 
they do not belong in the blood stream. 


The writer was once asked by an aged chemist known 
throughout the nation: “In your long study of the rattler in 
the wild state, just what do you consider the most interesting 
things you have learned about him?” My answer was that the 
interesting things about a rattler were many and varied, but, 
in my judgment, the mysterious power of his eyes was the most 
baffling and absolutely defied satisfactory explanation. Few 
indeed are those who have ever seen it, and their description 
of it differs slightly, some describing it as having the appear¬ 
ance of a flickering electrical beam and others describing it 
as a handful of mirror chips so maneuvered as to throw the 
reflected rays of the sun upon the eyes of the observer. Small 
animals, and even human beings, both weaken under its power. 
Who knows but that the diamond-back might be in possession 
of the death-ray for which would-be world-conquering war¬ 
lords have searched so long? Perhaps it may be well for the 
human race if the rattler continues the lone possessor of this 
fiendish device. 

There are only a few instances recorded in which man ac¬ 
tually fell victim to this mysterious power of the rattler’s eyes, 
or his other means of fascination, but the writer holds firmly 
to the view that if a man, strong of body and will, were placed 
in a quiet cell with a rattler, and neither of them disturbed or 
given nourishment, that the rattler would survive the man, and 
that the latter would sooner or later fall victim to these mys- 
erious powers of the reptile. 

It has been noted by those who cultivate an intimacy with 
the diamond-back that the female appears to fast while carry¬ 
ing her young about foraging for them. They explain readily 
that since the mother has the habit of swallowing her young 




258 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


when danger threatens, then she must of necessity keep her 
stomach empty so as to provide space for the little ones should 
the necessity arise. Notice has been taken of many newspaper 
and magazine articles, evidently written by some pseudo-scien¬ 
tist, and in every instance the contention was put forward that 
if a rattler actually swallowed their young as laymen contend 
that the gastric juices of the mother’s stomach would quickly 
destroy them. Many well-informed people are taken in by 
such presumptions since their line of reasoning sounds most 
convincing. Such logic leads to an erroneous conclusion, in¬ 
asmuch as it is based upon utterly false premise. This is just 
one more instance where the college-trained herpetologist fum¬ 
bles the pass and this self-instructed old master of arts recovers 
the ball. The college man builds up his theories around the 
supposition that the gastric juices of the rattler attacks every¬ 
thing within the stomach as in the case of other animals, but 
in this he is mistaken. Strange as it may sound, the stomach 
of a rattler is used chiefly as their cold storage plant, and small 
animals once taken inside her will neither sour, decompose nor 
be digested until it arrives at a certain point where the gastric 
juices are released. Thus the head of a rabbit or squirrel may 
be completely digested and the midsection in a perfect state 
of preservation. It is at the lower end of the stomach, where 
the same tapers off to a point that the process of digestion is 
set in motion. 


I was on one of my many hunts with Uncle Dave once when 
he walked up boldly to a gopher hole, paused for a moment as 
though he had observed signs that the hole was inhabited by 
his enemy. He relieved himself of the burden of the crocus 
bag he was carrying, and as it fell upon the ground one sounded 
his rattles violently, followed instantly by a loud “his-s-s.” The 
old gentleman stepped a single pace backward, saying as he 
did so with absolute calmness: “I can’t hear their rattles any 
more, but I can hear ’em hiss.” He had thrown his bag squarely 
upon one in his coil, and at a distance of only three feet. In 
connection with this particular incident the old gentleman once 
made this distinction between the habits of the diamond-back 



CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


259 


and the water-rattler: “The water-rattler don’t give you no 
advance notice—the ‘his-s-s’ and the thrust come right together, 
so’s when ye hear ’em hiss you’re done bit.” 

When I was a very small boy I learned something of the 
details of a young country school teacher who was bitten by a 
large diamond-back. The lad had been down in the woodland 
one fine spring day, on Sunday, while members of the house¬ 
hold were sitting around enjoying their week-end rest. Soon 
the young fellow, an admirable chap, came running in greatly 
excited and grief-stricken announcing the fact that the two of 
them had come upon a rattler and that his dog had been bitten 
and killed. Filled with compassion for the little boy, who hap¬ 
pened to be one of his students, he went with him immediately 
to hunt the villain down and slay him. Being shown to the 
exact spot, he commenced beating the bushes here and there, 
directing his strokes to whichever cluster of weeds and bushes 
appeared the most likely one in which he would have concealed 
himself to make a stand, by-passing a small cluster of bushes 
concealing the deadly villain. He had not yet learned that he 
could not trust his eyes, and it cost him his life. 

A bird hunter was once out with dog ajtd gun one fine spring 
day. Seeing the dog make a beautiful point, he drew in near. 
Seeing himself menaced on all sides the rattler (for that was 
what it proved to be) commenced singing his rattles with head 
and neck protruding from a deposit of wiregrass near one of 
these gopher holes. The hunter stepped a pace or two back¬ 
wards, unloading the contents of his shotgun into the coil of 
the rattler. The dog made the mistake of thinking that this 
was his master’s signal to rush in for the kill. The load of shot 
had completely severed the reptile’s body at a point about 
twelve inches below the head. The dog seized the business 
end of the serpent as he was accustomed to do when retrieving 
quail and was bitten. The owner of the dog returned from the 
hunt alone—this sad experience taught him some things about 
rattlers. 

Still more unbelievable is the fact that there is a definite 
menace in the carcass of the rattler until the flesh is entirely 
dead. There is a prevailing myth to the effect that one will 


260 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


not die until the sun goes down, no matter if his head be com¬ 
pletely beaten off during the early part of the day. Such report 
is not entirely without foundation. The reader has surely 
taken note of the fact that the flesh of beef will continue jump¬ 
ing and quivering until the carcass of the slain beast is entirely 
cold. Now, the brain of a rattler may be entirely destroyed, 
yet he remains capable of directing a thrust with amazing ac¬ 
curacy. If, for any reason, the brain becomes wholly inca¬ 
pacitated or destroyed, the solar plexus (that secondary nerve 
center about his midsection) seems to take over, performing 
practically all the functions of the brain so long as the flesh 
remains alive. 

The following incident has been reported to me which pro¬ 
vides a graphic illustration of the danger to which one exposes 
himself when he trusts too much to the behavior of a rattler— 
I mean one supposed to be dead. This uninformed person had 
slain a large one while fishing and conceived the idea of taking 
his long string of rattles as a trophy of combat. The head of 
the brute had been so completely pummeled that he entertained 
not the slightest fear that the reptile would behave in a manner 
unbecoming a dead rattler, so laid hold upon his tail to cut the 
rattles off. When he did so, the rattler gave an over-body 
thrust, piercing his hand with one fang hanging loose about 
the disfigured head of the reptile. The wound inflicted caused 
him no little pain and inconvenience. Thereafter he refused 
absolutely to trust rattlers—no, not even a dead one. 

In the rural areas of one of the Carolinas, a diamond-back 
once perpetrated a triple tragedy in a single home where the 
victims had a perfect right to feel themlselves far removed 
from such menace. The mother and housewife was busy com¬ 
pounding ingredients for a cake she was preparing at the in¬ 
stance of her three small daughters. Her supply of eggs in 
the kitchen being depleted, it became necessary to suspend 
operations while she rushed the three children off to the barn¬ 
yard where a hen nest was attached to the side of the barn. 
The same being above their heads, it became necessary to 
reach and feel for the eggs. The first withdrew her hand in 
haste, screaming, saying to her sisters that the hen had pecked 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


261 


her. The second chided her sister for not having the courage 
to resist the attack of the hen and put her hand into the nest, 
but with the same result. When the third had made the same 
attempt, but without results, the three went running to the 
house and told their mother. The mother, seeing that there 
were two wounds upon each of their hands, had her suspicions 
aroused, so went to investigate herself. Being able to see, she 
found a five-foot rattler coiled within the nest. For the want 
of immediate medical attention, the bite was fatal to all three 
of her children. 

A similar tragedy came dangerously near being re-enacted in 
a home, the members of whom were all well known to me. The 
family lived in one of those hardwood hummocks along by the 
side of a large creek. For a week or longer prior to the occur¬ 
rence, members of the household took notice of a peculiar note 
in the direction of the barnyard. It was the subject of nightly 
discussions. Some insisted that it was the note of crickets 
while others said not. Finally, a small girl was sent by night 
to get some eggs from a nest underneath the shelter for their 
breakfast. In the darkness she felt something in the nest which 
alarmed her, so hurried to the house and told her father. 
Going immediately with a flashlight he found a large rattler in 
the hen’s nest. This reptile had found a spot where he could 
earn a living all summer. All day long he would remain in his 
place of hiding and by night would come forth to devour all 
the eggs laid by the farmer’s hens during the day. The note 
they had been hearing was that of this rattler talking to his 
mate: off a distance, and had this family been familiar with 
the note might have avoided this unnecessary exposure. 

In all probability the one committing the triple murder of 
these three innocent children had been about the barnyard 
uttering such call for days, but the parents made the fatal mis¬ 
take of believing it to be the note of some nocturnal bird. 

A friend who related to me this observation had made his 
way to a lake deep in the swamp and quietly sat down by the 
side of the stream and commenced fishing. There was absolute 
quiet about him for an hour or so—the stillness was broken 
by a dull thud upon the ground. Turning about to determine 


262 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


the cause of it he saw a squirrel apparently dead lying upon 
the ground. He was in the pink of condition and he marveled 
that a squirrel so sleek and fat should have died so suddenly 
and came toppling down out of the top of a black-gum, but 
carried on with his fishing, looking to the future for a solution 
of the mystery. Presently a swamp snake came slithering down 
from the top of the tree to the lower limbs, which almost 
touched the ground. Leaping from the lower limbs he hurried 
along to claim his quarry. There had been no struggle up in 
the treetop, and the reptile was not the venomous species, so 
what was the answer? 

An aged friend, known to me to be absolutely truthful, re¬ 
lated in detail an exciting encounter he once had with a dia¬ 
mond-back which illustrates unmistakably that this reptile pos¬ 
sesses unblievable fleetness when speed appears to him to be 
the safest deliverance from an unhealthy situation. At the 
time, he was riding his saddle horse. Dismounting, he opened 
the gate to a large field which had been grazed clean by his 
cattle, and as he did so he came upon a large diamond-back on 
the inside of the field. A dense swamp at the lower side of the 
field, some two or three hundred yards away, appeared to him 
to be the safest refuge, so he headed for it at a dizzy pace. 
My informant mounted his steed quickly and followed in hot 
pursuit of him. He was never able to overcome the rattler’s 
lead, but suffered the humiliation of seeing him glide like some¬ 
thing greased into the tangled undergrowth in which he felt 
he could best offer battle to his opponent. 

Another friend, noted far and wide for his speed on foot, 
had gone into the center of a large field to a plum tree laden 
with ripe fruit. His enjoyment of the luscious plums was sud¬ 
denly interrupted as he looked backward to see a large coach- 
whip snake with head reared menacing him. All creatures 
appear to have been endowed by Nature with at least ONE 
gift which enables them to repel their enemies, and with a 
superior gift which will enable them to procure a sufficient 
supply of food. The one outstanding gift of this snake is his 
menacing appearance. Everyone knows him to be absolutely 
harmless—i.e., their reason tells them as much, but the trouble 
is their feet simply refuse to believe it. This young man ran, 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


263 


as he thought, for his life, but when he reached the rail fence 
two hundred yards away, the snake was already there, waiting 
for him on the other side. 

A newspaper story was brought to me, in substance as fol¬ 
lows: A gentleman with two or three small children had his 
attention attracted to them, seemingly playing a game of 
“Ring around the Rosie.” They were running in a circle, and 
at a certain point in the circle would leap over some imaginary 
object, as he thought. Their behavior was so unusual that he 
went to look into matters. He found them playing with a large 
rattler, the latter enjoying the game as much as they. 

After slaying the reptile he instituted a search in the vicinity 
and found four others. I was asked if I had any faith in the 
veracity of the one who sent in the story. All I could say was 
that everything was strictly in line with the known habits of 
the creature. The time was mid-September, their mating sea¬ 
son. The one with which the children were playing was evi¬ 
dently the female, who was taking no part in the fight going 
on inside the nearby, “rough,” but crawled forth at the sight 
of the little children for a little innocent pastime with them. 
It was as certain that the other four were males, engaged in a 
regular love tournament to determine whose bride the female 
would be. The female rattler is utterly devoid of any sentiment 
in such matters—her love goes to the strong man, whoever he 
might prove to be. 


AMERICA’S UNCROWNED KING 


When the mists of the early dawn of creation hung like a 
pall over the earth the rattler was with us, secretive, vindic¬ 
tive, and sullen to be sure, but nonetheless undisputed ruler 
over a vast realm. Then, as now, there was not to be found 
among men or beasts one who dared challenge his right of 
thoroughfare. 

During that remote era he must have witnessed with disgust 
the eternal struggle in which his enemies of the human kind 
engaged solely for the sake of mastery, little realizing that 
whichever won he (the rattler) would still be king. The 
Mound Builders and the Cliff Dwellers suffered complete anni¬ 
hilation. The Eskimos saved themselves by retreating toward 
the Arctic Circle where the weather was so inhospitable that 
their enemies would not follow and offer further battle. This 
new influx of warlike adventurers who supposedly hailed from 
the plains of Mongolia soon declared themselves triumphant 
over all adversaries, yet the rattler sent no emisaries bearing 
white flags. 

Then came the white man, and with him a re-enactment of 
all the savagery of past ages. If this reptile had been endowed 
with sufficient wisdom to correctly interpret all that he wit¬ 
nessed, then there is little wonder that he absolutely declined 
to enter into a state of self-imposed exile merely to oblige these 
new conquerors. 

Uncle Dave knows full well that there is no creature on 
earth, sea, or air quite so deadly as a diamond-back rattler. 
Asia has its king cobra, Africa its black mamba, South America 
its bushmaster, and Australia its death adder, but the diamond- 
back rattler, because of its size and length, his terrifying ap¬ 
pearance, the amount of venom he injects, plus the ferocity of 
his attack, leaves him no close second among reptiles anywhere 
on earth, and fully justifies the title Uncle Dave has conferred 
upon him, “The most-to-be-shunned living reptile.” If any 
man had never before seen nor heard of such creature, and 
should suddenly come upon one, he would instinctively give 
him a wide berth. His intuition or instinctive nature, which- 


264 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


265 


ever one chooses to call it, would instantly suggest caution. 

Men unfamiliar with the fraternity of the rattlesnake chase 
will say unhesitatingly that they hate these creatures with all 
their being, but I cannot recall that I ever heard a single indi¬ 
vidual among a score of men with whom I have hunted for 
many years ever make such statement—they do admit, how¬ 
ever, that they positively are afraid of them, and they never 
neglect their precautionary rules in which they have trained 
themselves with such painstaking care. They realize that they 
are dealing with a deadly creature. 

It appears to be a weakness in human character which influ¬ 
ences men to insist that they “hate” this man or that. This 
nation of people or that (especially when at war with them), 
or that he hates this creature or that. We usually hate indi¬ 
viduals, nations of people, or creatures we cannot stamp upon 
with impunity, or that is what the general run of men would 
have you believe. If the writer’s opinion is of any worth, I 
would suggest that such persons either consciously or uncon¬ 
sciously employ the wrong word with which to express their 
true emotions. What they really mean is that they fear such 
individuals, peoples, or creatures. A brave soldier never in¬ 
dulges in swearing at an adversary, discounting his prowess, 
or expending his reserve energy hating a brave foe. Such is 
a poor means to any laudable achievement, and an obstacle in 
the way to victory itself. 

Granting that all that has been said against the rattler is 
strictly true, and I think few would doubt it, yet there is much 
to be said in his favor. Holy Writ substantiates the contention 
of the writer that in wisdom he rates second only to man. In 
his daily observance, or non-observance of the pristine virtues, 
we owe it to him to admit that he comes out a next-best also. 
Let’s make some comparisons: 

He is clean of person, and particularly clean as concerns his 
eating habits. He eats only the choicest of food, and even then 
wants it fresh slain and steaming hot. When he has a rabbit or 
squirrel only partly swallowed and is compelled to disgorge, 
thus unsheathing his fangs for a fight with some intruder, he 
invariably goes hunting for new game. 


266 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


Occasionally a human being will be biten, and not by reason 
of any aggression on his own part—merely passing within 
striking distance of a reptile he had not seen. Rattlers, not 
unlike men, ofttimes go about with a chip on their shoulder— 
some enemy had provoked a fight with the serpent and his 
temper had not yet subsided. Most altercations in which men 
engage are not the outgrowth of any act committed at the 
time, but rather because of a mutual dislike of long standing. 

Now, the rattler will brook no interference whatever with 
his honeymoon, clandestine though it might prove to be. Any¬ 
one intruding upon his privacy at such a time is very likely to 
pay with his life—and whether such intrusion was intentional 
or unintentional makes no difference whatever. Now could 
man, with a clear conscience, hurl the cynic’s ban. 

A rattler will fight to the death to protect the life of his 
young. From man’s point of view is there anything wrong 
with that? 

They are such peace loving creatures that they will never 
permit their paths to cross that of man if there is any possible 
way to avoid such meeting. 

When one is encountered he will slip away from the fight, 
provided it can be done on terms compatible with his dignity 
as a rattler. 

Self-preservation being Nature’s first law, of course he will 
fight to protect his own life. What of it? 

He will fight when men invade his hunting grounds, and this 
brings to mind an observation by a profound student of history. 
He made a deep study of all the great wars of the past, glean¬ 
ing all that was available from the secret files of the chancel¬ 
leries of the participating powers, snatching the pious false- 
faces from kings, prime ministers, and diplomats. When his 
finding was shorn of all hypocrisy, false accusations, and then 
condensed into the fewest possible words, his summation of the 
underlying causes of all such wars was that they were “Over 
the world’s best feeding places.” Now, if the rattler is 
under indictment for defending his own feeding grounds, and 
if the finding of this historian be true, then our only alterna¬ 
tive would be to nolle prosequi the indictment. 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


267 


There is not the slightest trace of insincerity to be found in 
his entire makeup. No charge of hypocrisy can be truthfully 
leveled at him, neither can it be said that he ever sails under 
false colors. He presents himself to the whole world for ex¬ 
actly what he is—a deadly creature. All in all he is not a bad 
fellow, especially when compared with those serpents of the 
human kind who greet you with a smile, plant a kiss upon your 
cheek, but all the while are secretly planning your Gethsemane. 

Compared with other beasts of the field, he occupies a posi¬ 
tion of high honor. The hyena deliberately follows the lion, 
knowing him to be a good hunter. Not a single hyena, but two. 
When the lion makes a kill the two draw in to share it with 
him and then the fight starts. One of the pair engages the lion 
in battle while the other feasts upon the carcass—the hyena 
does not particularly care whether he kills the lion, but is 
merely fighting a delaying action. When the one at the carcass 
has had his fill they change positions. When both their appe¬ 
tites are fully satisfied they slink away into the underbrush. 

Unlike the eagle, he is no hi-jacker. The latter will sit by 
playing the role of gentleman of leisure while the fish-hawk 
beats his brains out diving for fish. When at last his efforts are 
rewarded the eagle “dive-bombs” the poor fish-hawk out of his 
just earnings, carrying it away to his own unfeathered clan 
awaiting his return upon a ledge on some lofty mountain peak. 

The rattler will labor with patience and persistence after 
the manner of his kind for his own food. He will hunt rabbits 
by the moonlight all night long, or perhaps in the cool of the 
day lie in wait for a squirrel for days and days for the purpose 
of determining just what path he is following, and if possible 
learn where he is obtaining his food supply, all of his patient 
energies directed to the end that their paths may one day cross. 

Roger Conant, Curator, Philadelphia Zoological Garden, 
and William Bridges, Curator of Publications, New York 
Zoological Park, pay eloquent tribute to the virtue of reptiles 
in a volume published by D. Appleton Company, New York, 
titled, “What Snake Is That?” 

“Each year Nature puts on ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’. 
For lovers of the spectacular she displays her flaming sunsets 
and her woods in autumn glory. Flowers and storms and the 


268 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


song of birds are free to all with the eyes to see and the ears 
to hear. But there is another part of the show to which only 
special guests may come. 

They are the naturalists, either professional or instinctive, 
whose sympathy and understanding give them admission to the 
secret life of the fields and forests and swamps, the barren 
plains and the country streams and rocky mountain sides where 
Nature’s humble citizenry go about the exciting business of 
living. Among these are none so humble as the snake—the 
lowly snake who, nevertheless, was singled out for the thunder 
of a Biblical curse. Doomed to crawl and suffer the enmity of 
Man, as if conscious of the immemorial stigma, the snake leads 
a life apart. Rarely does his kind seek out human habitations 
or dispute the way with the Lords of Creation—for man has 
not forgotten the curse, and through countless generations has 
relentlessly crushed the head of the serpent under his heel. 

In the Book of Revelations the question is asked: “Who 
can make war with him?” If this query might be applied 
to the diamond-back, then we have a ready answer: to the pres¬ 
ent time none have been found throughout the whole wide 
world able to dethrone him, consequently he remains to this 
good day America’s Uncrowned King. Uncle Dave believes 
that he has the answer, but he will tell the reader as candidly 
as he has told me that it is not a one-man job. 

The story of this intrepid old gentleman’s lifelong warfare 
cannot be concluded without a final summary of the achieve¬ 
ment which distinguishes him from any individual in America. 
The author has set forth in this volume a series of his thrilling 
encounters, each story illustrating some additional knowledge 
of the reptile’s life and daily habits. He has honestly endeav¬ 
ored to acquaint his readers with the motives that underlie this 
one-man battle. The repeated attacks on members of his own 
family, and his friends, brought home to him, as nothing else 
could do, the need for action. Such unprovoked attacks finally 
kindled within him that flame of indomitable determination to 
destroy this treacherous enemy. From his firsthand knowledge 
of events, the author has gone further than a description of 
his hero’s exploits, for he has shown what one resolute and 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


269 


fearless pioneer has done to organize a movement with tre¬ 
mendous and far-reaching possibilities for the future. The 
concrete results achieved by himself and his little army are 
truly amazing. There is an area of approximately 500 square 
miles immediately surrounding him where a diamond-back does 
not dare poke his head out of the wiregrass, lest Uncle Dave 
or one of his lieutenants be standing by with a stick and noose, 
ready to harness him and lead him off to one of their stockades. 
However, he is not satisfied with victories that are merely 
local or temporary. It is his earnest purpose to inaugurate a 
movement, and to disseminate such information as will drive 
his arch enemy to utter extermination throughout the deep 
South. 

As his story reveals, he has exposed himself to many, many 
dangers, and for this reason is sincerely desirous of passing to 
others what he has learned by thus exposing himself, all this 
to the end that the nation might finally be free from her most 
dangerous internal enemy, and that those who follow after 
him may live their lives without the fear eternally gripping 
their hearts that days spent in the great open spaces, hunting, 
fishing, or boating may not end abruptly as they find themselves 
upon a deadly diamond-back. 

Looking back over his long life, one views with admiration 
his continual exhibition of courage. He has defied danger and 
death, since his ceaseless warfare with the rattler has kept him 
in a perpetual state of hostility and risk. Peril and adventure, 
however, are congenial to his nature, surrounded by an enemy 
as pristine and savage as ever defied primitive man or wilder¬ 
ness trail-blazer. And, like those invincible fighters of Amer¬ 
ica’s early days, he is always prepared. His weapons—spade, 
flashlight, stick and noose—are as ready to his hand as were 
the pioneer’s bowie knife, musket and powder horn. He has 
taken a thousand chances, pitting his skill and daring against 
an enemy whose mode of warfare is surprisal and ambush. He 
has faced death without losing his cool nerve and sagacity. 
That fearful rattle which chills the average man’s blood in his 
veins is sweet music to his ears. Indeed, had he fled in panic, 
when suddenly menaced, it is not at all probable that he would 
be here today to tell his story. 


270 


CREATURES OF MYSTERY 


All that has been recorded herein of a complimentary nature 
about the diamond-back is strictly true, yet he is a killer of the 
first order whose varying moods it is impossible to predict, and 
should therefore be destroyed. 

Uncle Dave does not have it on his conscience that he started 
this war, and just why the diamond-backs should have precipi¬ 
tated hostilities is not quite clear to the writer. Had they 
known this old gentleman as I have come to know him they 
would surely have held their fire, since no person in America 
was better qualified to promote their utter undoing. 

Relatives and friends have pleaded with him to make an end 
of it—to call the whole thing off—lest Dame Fortune some 
day turn her back upon him at a critical moment. Their en¬ 
treaties serve no useful purpose—merely “Nettles” him. He 
has absolute faith in a sort of psychic feeling by which he has 
always been governed, and believes confidently that no rattler 
will ever have a hand in writing the concluding chapter of his 
life. 

THE END. 


INDEX 


Advice to Laymen 

Avoiding natural lairs of the dia¬ 
mond-back, 22 
First aid, 240, 241, 242 
Just in case, 239, 240 
Precautions to be observed. 49 
161, 231 

Risky things to do, 25 

Arts and Accomplishments of the 
Diamond-Back 

Amphibious qualities, 47, 57, 58 
Hiding his trail, 11, 12, 22, 82, 83, 
167, 233 

Locomotion, or system of pro¬ 
pulsion, 10, 150, 151, 167, 254, 
255 

Mysterious power of eyes, 157, 
167, 172, 257 

Observation of pursuers, 233, 234 
Rattles; effect of their sound upon 
human senses, 125, 163, 164 
Rattles; how they are carried and 
protected, 10 

Secrets of the rattler, 252, 253 
Speed of reptiles can be deceiving, 
51, 52 

Camouflage 

Ability to blend with surround¬ 
ings, 2, 22, 48, 49, 95, 228, 233 
Optical illusions, 164, 165, 166 
Weird designs and their effect 
upon the human senses, 39, 173 

Craftiness 

Amphibious qualities, 57 
Blue-jay is innocent ally of rat¬ 
tler, 38 

Cunning is unlimited, 175 
Evasion of turpentine workers, 13 
Hiding his trail, 11, 12, 22, 48 
Waylaying his prey, 41, 206, 207 

Dogs versus Reptiles 

Dog has “snake sense”, 40 
Dogs often bitten, 150 
Dog versus king snake, 229, 230 
Enmity is mutual, 14, 15, 40, 95, 
101 

Fifty-fifty warfare, 40, 41 
“Ol’ Spot”, 226, 227, 228 


Encounters Between Man and Rep¬ 
tiles 

A civil war incident, 199, 200 
Miscellaneous encounters, 24, 29 
30, 66, 67, 80, 92, 99, 104, 105, 
127, 129, 131, 147, 148, 153, 155, 
156, 157, 158, 160, 161, 162, 203, 
234, 235, 262, 263 

Encounters Between Reptiles 

Battle for possession of mate, 45, 
46 

Rattler versus king snake, 115, 
117, 119, 121, 208, 209, 210 

Expensive Marauders 

Losses of livestock and poultry, 
87, 88, 90, 91, 251, 252 

Fighting Ability of the Rattler 

Attacks even man when cornered, 
154, 155, 156, 157, 160, 161, 162 
Duel between champs, 219, 220, 
221 

Enemies are many, 100, 101 
Formidable in battle, 100 
Uncrowned king, 264, 265, 266, 
267, 268, 269, 270 

Gastronomical Feats 

Enormous “storage” capacity, 35, 

88 

Gluttonous appetite, 88 
Preparation for winter, 3 
Stomach used only for storage, 
258 

Haunts and Hiding Places 

Choosing winter quarters, 2, 3, 8, 

21, 22 

Shuns burned over woodland, 146 
Sunning near his winter home, 22 
Terrain best suited to the dia¬ 
mond-back, 7 

Thickly populated sections often 
chosen, 13 

Hibernation 

Choosing winter quarters, 2, 3, 8, 

21 , 22 

Conditions during hibernation, 3, 
7, 8 


271 



272 


INDEX 


Dual occupancy of winter quar¬ 
ters, 58 

Hard shell gopher builds rattlers’ 
winter home, 4 
Hibernation of mates, 8 
Preparation for winter, 3, 21 

Hypnotism 

Aids to rattlers’ hypnotic powers, 
167, 173 

Blind minister’s experience, 214 
General comment, 25, 26, 141 
Incidents which testify to the rep¬ 
tiles’ hypnotic ability, 27, 29, 30, 
31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 81, 82, 83, 84, 
85, 86, 87, 93, 94, 95, 96, 104, 
105, 106, 114, 162, 163, 164, 168, 
169, 170, 171, 172, 211, 212, 213, 
261, 262 

Insects are hypnotists, 35, 36, 37, 
38 

Noiseless method of securing food, 
79, 80 

Optical illusions, 164, 165, 166 
Origin and use of hypnotism, 109, 
110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115 
Power over birds, 38 
Quotations supporting author’s 
contentions, 168, 169, 170, 171 
Susceptibility of human beings, 
172 

Suspended animation, 44, 253, 254 
Weird designs and their effect 
upon the human senses, 39, 173, 
174, 179 

Live Rattlers; How they are Cap¬ 
tured 

Bagging the rattler, 143, 144 
“Excavating” for rattlers, 7, 8, 47, 
48 

Imprisoning snakes in “gopher” 
holes, 250 

“Noosing” a rattler, 50, 51, 234 

Man’s Worship of Serpents 

Indians immune to rattler’s bite, 
198, 210 

Magical powers attributed to rat¬ 
tler, 191 

Snake cults and serpent worship, 
192, 193, 194, 195, 196 
Snake dance of the Hopis, 197 

Mating 

Battle for possession of mate, 45, 
46 


“Calls” used by reptiles, 16, 17, 18, 
19, 83, 134, 135, 176, 177, 237, 
243, 244, 245, 246, 261 
Communication by secret means, 
16, 133, 138, 139 
Elimination of the unfit, 46 
Hibernation of mates, 8 
Rivalry between males, 152, 153 
Travel separately, 16, 133, 135, 
136 

Uncanny knowledge of injury to 
mate, 16, 131, 133 

Mythology of Reptiles 

Caduceus; ancient and modern 
use, 181, 182, 183 
Caduceus; form, 180, 181, 182, 183 
Caduceus; origin of, 180, 181, 182 
Caduceus; symbol of health, 178 
Caduceus; symbol of immortality, 
179 

Natural Enemies of the Rattler 

“Biddy hen” attacks rattler, 67 
Enemies are numerous, 100, 101 
Fire their worst enemy, 127, 129 
King snake, 106, 107, 115, 117, 119, 
121, 205, 207, 208, 209, 210, 229, 
230 

Physical Data Pertaining to the 
Rattler 

Age, 232 

Dangerous even after death, 259, 
260 

Enormous size, 88, 155, 211, 232, 
249 

Freedom from disease, 145 
Legs; do snakes have them?, 256 
Odor of the rattler, 147, 159, 167, 
168 

Sense of hearing a mystery, 107, 
108, 206 

Strength is unbelievable, 144 
“Whistler” a part of his equip¬ 
ment, 245 

Reaction of Lower Order of Ani¬ 
mals to Human Emotions 

Betrayal of confidence resented, 
185 

Confusion created by man’s vary¬ 
ing moods, 185 

Glandular secretions and their ef¬ 
fect upon reaction of wild crea¬ 
tures, 186, 187, 188, 189, 190 
Reaction to fear, 184, 186 


INDEX 


273 


Reaction to kind treatment, 185, 
186 

Reasoning Powers of Reptiles 

Discernment of changes in ter¬ 
rain, 12, 13 

Evasion of turpentine workers, 13 
Examples proving rattler’s rea¬ 
soning power, 28, 29 

Reproduction of Species 

Eggs contain young rattlers, 23, 
96 

Large families the rule, 145 
Nests of the female, 22, 23, 96 

Species: Different Types of Rattlers 

Many different types of rattlers, 
224 

Unusual specimen, 224, 225 
Water rattler, 222, 223, 258, 259 

Temperament and Nature of the 
Diamond-Back 

Actions after having bitten a per¬ 
son, 21, 95 

Confidence can be won, 49, 50 
Effect of captivity, 19, 20 
Love for little children, 102, 202, 
203, 231, 263 

Memory of reptiles for human be¬ 
ings, 106, 107, 159, 160 
Peacefully inclined, 14, 154, 201 
Points in the rattler’s favor, 265, 
266, 267, 268 

Response to kindness, 102, 103 
Sluggish during hibernation, 8 

Tragedies Chargeable to the Dia¬ 
mond-Back 

Berry picking costs boy his life, 
55 

School teacher is fatally bitten, 
259 

Snake hunters’ first-and-last mis¬ 
take, 142, 143 

Three children fatally bitten, 260, 
261 

Trailing the Rattler 

Converging trails, 25 
Easy trailing, 250 
Locating a hidden diamond-back, 
48, 49, 64, 65, 66, 151, 152, 153 
Recognizing the rattler’s trail, 10 
Signs showing direction of rat¬ 
tler’s travel, 10 


Uncle Dave 

Age and infirmaties of Uncle 
Dave, 7, 58 

Benefactor of humanity, 42, 43, 56, 
268, 269 
Boyhood, 16 

Confident that no rattler will ever 
harm him, 270 
Declares war on rattlers, 1 
Early mistakes, 11, 25 
Education, 15, 43 
“Excavating” for rattlers, 7, 8 
Fishing in Suwanoochee creek, 98, 
99 

Layman vs. scientist, 15, 44, 225 
Loses dog, 150 

Narrow escapes, 52, 53, 54, 143, 
147 

Schooling himself in the art of 
snake hunting, 2, 4, 12 
Second son is bitten, 1, 144 
Son is fatally bitten, 1, 144 
Student of nature, 15, 16 
Summary of achievements, 268, 
269 

Temperament adjusted to work, 
184 

Third son barely escapes death, 
1, 144 

Tools of his trade, 7 
Trains others for dangerous call¬ 
ing, 145 

Truthfulness, 43 

Twelve rattlers in one day, 58 

Wild Life; Specific Incidents and 
General Comment 

Alligator, 205 

Bear detours for rattler, 207 
Bruin, the “doctor”, 76, 77 
Coachwhip snake, 176, 177 
Crows display high degree of in¬ 
telligence, 77, 78, 79 
Deodorant emloyed by fox, 76 
Elimination of the unfit, 46 
Hoop snakes, 247, 248 
Joint snake, 256 
Leather wing bat, 138 
Lion a ventriloquist, 26 
Old “Split-Foot”, 72, 73, 74 
Sand hill gopher, 4, 7, 249, 250 
Swamp snake, 81, 94 
Vulture shuns electric wires, 76 
Wolves capable of formulating 
strategy, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74 
Zebras tricked by lion, 26, 27 


274 


INDEX 


Young Rattlers; Weaning, Distribu¬ 
tion, Etc. 

Rattles used to attract attention 
of young, 64 

Scattering out the little ones, 23, 
24, 25, 142 

Swallowing of the young when 
danger threatens, 59, 60, 61, 62, 
63, 64, 65, 88, 153, 154, 257, 258 
Weaning of young, 24, 25, 142, 
151, 152 

Young ride “piggy-back”, 103, 104 

Miscellaneous Items of General In¬ 
terest 

Caterpillar club, 141 


Geological formation of sand hills, 
4. 5, 6, 7 

Killing rattlers; the old darkey’s 
method, 59 

Layman vs. scientist, 15, 19, 20, 
35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 59, 60, 63, 64, 
88, 89, 92, 93, 94, 96, 136, 137, 
139, 140, 141 

Professional snake hunters, 141, 
142, 250 

Springtime in South Georgia, 97, 
98 

Torture methods of the middle 
ages, 173, 174, 175 

Turpentine workers; habits and 
customs, 148, 149 











































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